


Twin Suns

by Zinoviev



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Episode: s03e20 Twin Suns, Ezra Ruins Everything, Gen, It's Really Unhealthy, Maul is Obsessed with Obi-Wan, Thrawn is such a Mary Sue, but we love him anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 105,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24691642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinoviev/pseuds/Zinoviev
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Luke is working on his uncle's moisture farm when he senses a kindred spirit in distress. Driving out into the desert, he discovers an unconscious young man lying in the sand. His name is Ezra Bridger, and he is about to change Luke's life for good.When Obi-Wan learns what happened, he vows to take drastic measures to ensure Luke doesn't fall into the wrong hands. That includes teaming up with the very man who came to kill him: Darth Maul. The ultimate battle for the future of the galaxy and the Force has arrived far sooner than Obi-Wan could have ever anticipated.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Maul
Comments: 180
Kudos: 256





	1. Dichotomy

**Author's Note:**

> I put off watching Rebels for a long time because I heard a lot of negative things about it, but I regret listening to the naysayers! I love the Spectre crew – they're such great, dynamic characters. This idea came to me while watching episode 320 to bridge the worlds of Luke and Ezra. Hope you enjoy!

The suns were merciless that morning. A searing heat bared down on his exposed neck, singing the ends of his hairs. All around him, the air rippled and shimmered, giving the impression that he was under water. If only he could be so lucky. Then again, he didn't know how to swim, so maybe he was better off in the desert.

Taking off his hat, Luke wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He squinted and craned his head up to look at the spotless blue sky. Directly overhead, a single wispy cloud wafted lazily. Just a little farther to the left, and it would blot out the suns and give him a momentary reprieve. Just a little more…

A disgruntled squawk caused Luke to snap to his left. "Oh come on," he complained to the droid. "I was just taking a little break, Elle." His companion had no sympathy for him, however. Unplugging from the vaporator port, L-2 rolled toward him on her four wheels and tilted her retinal scanners up to his face. "Alright, fine," Luke muttered.

Plodding back toward the vaporator, Luke put his hat back on and resumed his work. This unit had been giving them trouble all harvest as it inexplicably stopped collecting moisture from time to time. Luke suspected the internal wiring had fried in the heat, but there was no way to know for sure without tearing the whole thing apart. Uncle Owen definitely wouldn't let him do that during the dry season, so Luke was forced to take regular trips out into the basin to perform maintenance on the finicky vaporator. He really hated moisture farming.

Ten minutes later, and Luke still hadn't managed to fix the problem. He took a step back and glanced at the flashing red light above the control panel. Why wasn't it coming online? He had done everything he could think of. Maybe the vaporator had finally kicked it. While Luke would be relieved if that was the case, he certainly couldn't go back to the homestead and tell Uncle Owen that. He had only just started trusting Luke with these assignments on his own. He didn't want to make his uncle feel foolish for believing in him.

Luke threw his screwdriver to the ground in frustration and plopped down in the sand by the base of the vaporator. "Oh, shut up!" he barked when L-2 beeped at him. "It's not like you've been any help either." The droid made an indignant sound, and Luke waved her off. Dabbing his forehead with his sleeve, Luke sighed and rested his head in between his knees.

_This is my fault._

Luke looked up sharply. What had that been? It sounded like a young man's voice. Getting to his feet, Luke looked around but saw nobody in sight.

_I should have just stayed home._

There it was again! Where was it coming from?

"Elle, do you hear that?" he asked. Figuring he was stalling, the droid made a haughty sound and rolled away from him in protest.

_No… no… no!_

Luke's heart was hammering in his chest. He ran into the desert out of the shadow of the vaporator and swiveled his head in every which direction.

"Hello! Hello! Who's there?"

_No!_

They needed his help! Whoever they were, they were in danger. Without a second thought, Luke took off running toward his speeder.

"Stay with the vaporator!" he yelled to L-2 before leaping in and driving away.

He had no idea where he was going, but he didn't let it stop him. Intuition guided him to the east deeper into the desert rather than west back toward the homestead. Before long, he was passing the outer reaches of the Lars farm and into the Jundland Wastes. Uncle Owen forbid him from traveling out here, but Luke didn't care. There was someone out here. He knew it!

Reaching to his left, Luke picked up his macrobinoculars from the empty passenger seat and held them to his eyes while he drove. He scanned the horizon for any sign of life, but still he found nothing. Rather than giving up, however, Luke pressed down on the accelerator and sped up. The wind whipped against his face and knocked his hat off his head. Finally after ten minutes of driving, he abruptly slammed on the breaks. He hadn't seen anything, and yet he felt as if he had arrived in the right spot.

Luke reached into the glovebox and produced a weathered blaster before stepping out of the speeder. He had never used a weapon before, but it was best to be safe. Sand People were known to traverse the Wastes on occasion. He cautiously plodded forward with the blaster in one hand and macrobinoculars in the other. A gust of wind picked up a cloud of sand and Luke had to cover his mouth with his elbow. When the air cleared, he gasped when he saw two figures in the distance.

The first thing he noticed was an orange and white astromech droid. Its mottled legs were rigidly vertical and its body was sagging forward a bit. The droid had clearly run out of power. Lying in the sand a few meters away was a person. As Luke approached, he was able to tell that it was a young man who looked to be about his age. Stuffing the blaster into his pocket and pulling the strap for the macrobinoculars over his head, Luke rushed forward.

"Are you okay?" he called out. No response. The boy was unconscious with his face planted in the sand. Unsure what to do, Luke tentatively nudged him with his foot to no effect. "Here goes nothing," he said to himself. Leaning down, Luke grabbed the boy by the armpits and pulled him upright. He then began to arduously drag him away back toward his speeder.

Unable to lift him into the seat, Luke propped him up against the door instead. Running around toward the driver's side, Luke reached into the speeder and found his canteen. "Can you hear me?" he asked when he returned. Kneeling down by the boy's side, he considered his face for a moment. The boy had short black hair and a distinctive scar on his left cheek which looked like scratch marks. He must have been out in the desert for a long time, because he was covered with grime and his lips were desiccated

Opening the canteen, Luke poured a bit of water into his hand and splashed it on the boy's face. He woke up with a start, the back of his head hitting against the speeder behind him. "Ow!" he exclaimed in a hoarse voice. Blinking a few times, he looked up to see Luke.

"Hey there," Luke said. "How do you feel?"

The boy swallowed hard and grimaced. "Thirsty," he rasped.

Luke offered him the canteen. "Drink up."

The boy reached out with shaking hands and grabbed the canteen. He drank greedily for nearly a full minute while Luke watched.

"What's your name?" he asked when the boy finally lowered the canteen from his lips and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Ezra," he said. Suddenly, he looked up at him and stiffened. "You're…"

"I'm Luke," he told him.

Ezra stared at him unblinkingly. "You… I've seen you before," he said.

Luke frowned. "You have?"

"I…" Ezra trailed off and looked away.

Luke followed his gaze to see that he was looking at the powered down astromech a few meters away. "Is that your droid?" he asked.

"You have to get him."

"Sure thing. Wait here, okay?"

Luke stood up and hurried away toward the droid. When he arrived, Luke tilted its cylindrical body and began rolling the astromech back toward the speeder. Upon returning, he saw that Ezra had managed to stand up. He looked quite disoriented.

"Get in," Luke instructed.

"I need to… I need to find him."

"Find who?"

Ezra didn't respond. Taking a step toward the speeder, his eyes rolled back and his body went limp.

"Woah!" Luke exclaimed when Ezra fell into the speeder. Rushing forward, he grabbed his torso and helped him into a standing position. "Easy there," he said through gritted teeth. Wrenching the door open with his free hand, Luke inelegantly stuffed Ezra's body into the seat. He took a moment to catch his breath before picking up the astromech and dropping him into the back of the speeder. "Alright," he said to himself. "Let's go."

Δ Δ Δ

An hour later, Luke returned to the homestead and helped Ezra out of the speeder. When they made it through the front door, he heard his aunt's voice.

"Luke? Is that you?"

Biting down on his tongue, Luke glanced at Ezra. The boy looked dead on his feet. His eyelids were fluttering and he seemed to be on the verge of fainting. "Don't say anything," he whispered before responding to his aunt. "I'm back!" he called out. "Going to get changed!"

Wrapping his arm around Ezra, he helped the boy down the stairs toward the open area. He glanced around surreptitiously, but fortunately neither his aunt nor uncle were anywhere in sight. They must be in the kitchen.

"Let's go," he said urgently. Luke practically dragged Ezra across the commons and toward his room. Opening the door with a swipe of his hand, he and Ezra awkwardly stumbled down a second flight of stairs. When they arrived in his bedroom, Luke released a sigh of relief.

"Here," he said. "Sit down." Ezra collapsed onto the bed and immediately keeled over on his side. "Uh, sure. You can sleep there, I guess." Luke crossed his arms and stood over Ezra for a moment before his aunt's voice caused him to spin around.

"Luke!"

"Coming!" he yelled.

Brushing himself off, Luke hurried toward the stairs and made his way back to the surface. The door opened, and he found himself face to face with his uncle.

"What's the rush?" Owen asked.

"No rush," Luke insisted at once.

Owen narrowed his eyes. "Did you fix that vaporator?"

"I, um… yeah," Luke lied. "I mean, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I had to come back to, uh… to get some power converters."

"What for?"

"I forgot to charge Elle last night. She died while I was out there. I was just going to go back, actually."

"You left the droid out in the desert?"

Luke gulped. "I, uh…"

"That droid cost me twelve hundred credits! You better get it back here before nightfall."

"Yeah, of course," Luke said hastily. "I'll do it."

Owen nodded, but Luke could tell he had disappointed him. Spinning around, his uncle walked away toward the dining room where he could hear Beru setting the table. Once Owen was out of sight, Luke hustled across the commons and scurried up the stairs toward the main entrance. With the press of a button, the door unsealed itself and he ran outside toward the speeder which he had parked out front.

"Lift with the legs," he told himself as he strained to pick up the astromech droid from the backseat. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but he heard Uncle Owen say it all the time.

Luke rolled the astromech back toward the front door. Reaching the stairs, he attempted to lift the droid again, but it was too heavy and he lost his grip.

"Kriff!"

The droid went tumbling down the stairs and the subsequent crashing sounds echoed loudly.

"Luke! What was that?"

He scampered down the stairs after the astromech. He arrived just in time to pick up the droid and hide it on the step behind him when Owen emerged from the dining room.

"What was that noise?" he asked.

"Nothing," Luke said. "I just tripped."

Owen arched an eyebrow. "You tripped?" he repeated.

Luke was saved from having to explain himself when Beru arrived as well. "Luke, are you going to eat with us?" she asked.

"I, uh…"

"The boy has work to do," Owen said gruffly. "He'll eat when he's done. Isn't that right, Luke?"

"Yeah, of course," he said. "Let me just get those power converters."

Luke didn't move, however. He couldn't without revealing the astromech behind him.

"Well?" Owen asked.

"You're working him too hard, Owen," Beru said on his behalf. "Let the boy eat."

"It's fine, really," he said. "I'm not hungry."

Beru gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure?"

"Don't let me hold you up. You can eat without me."

"He's fine, Beru," Owen said. Turning around, he walked back toward the dining room.

"Don't be afraid to tell him if it's too much for you," Beru told him when Owen was gone.

"I want to help," Luke said. It bothered him how much his aunt coddled him. Uncle Owen could be abrasive, but at least he believed in him. Beru still treated him like he was a kid.

His aunt crossed her arms and gave him a tepid smile. "Alright, but don't stay out after the suns go down."

Luke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he said. It's not like he was stupid. Of course he knew not to do that.

Beru gave him one last look before following after her husband. He waited for her footsteps to recede before spinning around to asses the damage done to the astromech. Luke winced. There was a prominent dent in the droid's domed body which almost certainly hadn't been there beforehand.

"Sorry about that," he muttered. Making sure he had a good grip this time, Luke picked up the droid and trudged toward his room. The door opened, and Luke took great care as he made his way down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, Luke set the droid down with a heavy thud. He arched his back and took a moment to recover before making his way toward the work bench. With a side glance at Ezra who was still fast asleep, Luke opened a drawer and found a power converter and an accompanying extension cord.

"Let's get you powered up," he said to the astromech. Hooking up the cord to a power source in the floor, he made his way toward the droid and searched around for a port. "There it is," he said when he found it at the base of its body. He plugged the droid in and waited for him to boot up. To pass the time, Luke got an air gun from the desk and began cleaning the sand out of the droid's various cracks and pores. Beneath the grime, Luke could see that the droid had a great many scuff marks and blemishes as well as several parts which looked like they came from different models. This droid had been through the wringer, so it seemed.

"What were you doing out there?" Luke mused to himself. Once again, he turned to look at Ezra. He was clearly a foreigner. No way a native would have ever gone out into the Jundland Wastes without water or a blaster. At this thought, something caught his eye. Standing up, he walked toward the bed. There was a metal cylinder clipped to the boy's belt, a little less than a foot long. What was it? It looked a bit like a flashlight, but the design was far too intricate.

A low-pitched groan caused Luke to spin around. "You're back!" he exclaimed when he saw the droid sluggishly rotating its orange dome as if it had just woken from a nap. Hearing his voice, it swiveled toward him and made a startled sound. "Shh!" Luke hushed when the droid began babbling frantically. "Keep it down! I'm helping you!"

The droid raised its little mechanical arms and flailed them about, warning him to stay back. Luke rolled his eyes at its pugnacity. "I found you out in the desert," Luke told the panicked droid. "You were powered down so I brought you back here. See? I plugged you in."

The droid looked down to see the cord protruding from its outlet. "You can trust me, okay? Care to give me your name?" The droid hesitated for a moment before answering. "Chopper?" Luke repeated. "That's your name? That's not… common. Don't you have a classification?" Indignant, Chopper grumbled something indiscernible to Luke. "Okay fine. I'll be right back. You stay here and look after him."

For a third time, Luke considered Ezra's sleeping figure. His mouth was hanging open and he was snoring quite loudly. "Don't make a sound," he instructed the droid upon turning back around. "If my aunt and uncle found out…" Luke let the threat linger and shook his head. "Just keep it quiet," he said finally. 'I'll be right back."

Picking up his hat, Luke hurried past Chopper and up the stairs.

Δ Δ Δ

Having driven his speeder all the way out to the vaporator unit he had been working on that morning, Luke found a deeply aggrieved L-2. He apologized profusely for having left her, but there was nothing he could say to assuage his cantankerous companion.

Rather than returning home right away, Luke got back to work on the malfunctioning vaporator. He was distracted, however. All he could think about was Ezra and Chopper. What had they been doing out there in the desert? Where had they come from? It wasn't as if Tatooine received many foreign visitors, especially not way out here in these scarcely inhabited parts. They must have gotten lost. Luke could think of no other explanation for them to be here.

Luke finally gave up trying to fix the vaporator after about an hour. Exasperated, he gave it a kick before marching away toward the speeder. "Come on, Elle," he said to the droid. "We're going."

The whole drive back, Luke continued to ponder the bizarre events of that morning. How had he even known where to find Ezra? He had heard his voice somehow, but Ezra had been dozens of miles away from him at the time. The whole incident was utterly bewildering to him.

Luke made it back to the homestead an hour before nightfall. He tiptoed down the stairs and was about to make a dash for his room when a growling in his stomach forced him to reconsider. While he desperately wanted to check on his secret guests, Luke could concede that he needed to eat first.

Much to his relief, he didn't run into his aunt or uncle when he arrived in the kitchen. On the stove he found a broiling pot of stew. Producing two bowls from the cabinet, he set them down and took off the lid to the pot. He served himself two generous portions with the ladle before picking up the bowls and leaving. Walking carefully so as not to spill, he nearly dropped the bowls when the door to the kitchen slid open.

"Ah!" he exclaimed.

Uncle Owen gave him an odd look. "When did you get back?" he asked.

"Just now," Luke said. His pulse pounded in his ears as he desperately attempted to convey a casual demeanor.

Owen gestured to the two bowls in his hand. "You plan on eating all of that?"

"Uh… no. I mean yes! Just me! I… I'm going to eat this all by myself. I haven't had anything to eat, you see, so I thought –"

Owen raised a hand and stopped Luke's floundering. "You get one bowl," he said. "That's it."

Luke nodded vigorously. "Right," he said. "I'm sorry."

His uncle gave him one last disapproving look before leaving the kitchen. Luke exhaled in relief. He contemplated defying his uncle's instruction and taking both bowls anyway, but he decided that was too great a risk to take. Sighing, Luke returned to the stove and poured out the contents of the second bowl back into the pot. Setting the now-empty bowl into the sink, he picked up a spoon and left.

When he made it back to his bedroom, Luke found that Ezra had yet to wake. Chopper was standing at attention by his bedside. Seeing Luke return, Chopper extended an arm and prodded Ezra with it.

"Don't do that," Luke told the droid. "Let him sleep."

Chopper complained and Luke found himself chuckling. "You're bored?" he asked. "Droids can't get bored." Luke set the bowl down on the work bench and gave it a longing look. He was hungry, but he knew Ezra would need the stew more than him when he woke up. Who knew when the boy had last eaten.

An odd humming sound caused Luke to look up. He looked at Chopper, but it hadn't come from him. Furrowing his brow, Luke took a step forward. It was a strange sound, guttural yet melodious. It sounded… ancient.

Luke's eyes darted to Ezra's pants pocket when he saw something glowing. There was a faint red hue which pulsated in and out. What could that be? He hesitated for a moment before giving into his curiosity. Carefully reaching into Ezra's pocket, his fingers found two metal gadgets. Luke pulled them out and inspected them in the palm of his hand. They were pyramidal in shape with an ornate pattern emblazoned on its panels. Luke found himself mesmerized by their design. It was truly beautiful…

He gasped when they suddenly levitated into the air. They began burning a bright red and the mysterious voice he had heard returned. Fascinated, Luke watched with his mouth agape. He couldn't quite make out the words, but there was one that he did recognize.

_Sky… walker._

It was talking to him! How did it know his name?

"Yes?" Luke asked, feeling slightly foolish to be talking to an inanimate object.

_Skywalker._

"That's me," he said with a frown.

_Skywalker!_

"No!"

Luke jumped back when a hand swiped the floating pyramids out of the air. Blinking rapidly, he looked up to see Ezra had finally woken. The boy was breathing heavily and he was staring back at Luke with wide, incredulous eyes.

"What did you hear?" he asked manically.

"Keep your voice down!" Luke hissed. "My aunt and uncle –"

"Tell me what you heard!"

Ezra grabbed Luke by the shoulders and gave him a shake. Terrified, Luke pushed him away and staggered back a step.

"Calm down," he pleaded.

Ezra pocketed the pyramids and took a deep breath. He looked around and only then seemed to register his surroundings. "Where… am I?" he asked.

"This is my home," Luke told him, hands still raised defensively. "I brought you here after I found you out in the desert."

Ezra blinked a few times until his eyes found the astromech droid. "Chopper!" he said.

"I charged your droid," Luke said when Ezra got down to his knees and hugged his wiggling companion.

"Chop, I'm so sorry," Ezra said to the droid. "I never should have led us out there." He then looked up at Luke and narrowed his eyes. "You found me," he said.

"I did."

"How?"

Luke hesitated. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I thought I heard you, somehow."

Ezra stood back up. "You sensed me," he said.

"I… what?"

Ezra reached into his pocket and pulled out the two pyramids. They floated upward and pointed themselves at Luke.

"They were leading me to you," he said.

Luke scratched his temple in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"All this time, I thought I was searching for Master Kenobi, but actually it was you! You're who I saw in my vision!"

"Your vision?"

"It's you! You're the secret to defeating the Sith!"

"Keep your voice down."

"What did it tell you? Did it share some sort of ancient Jedi wisdom?"

Luke shook his head and began backing away from the crazed boy. "I don't know what you're on about," he said. "Maybe you're just dehydrated. Do you need something to drink?"

"Don't lie! It told you something!"

"It, um… sort of," Luke said.

"What?"

"It didn't really say anything," he said. "It just said my name."

Ezra's face fell. "That's it?"

"Yeah, it just said… Skywalker."

Ezra's eyes turned wide. "What did you say?" he asked.

"It said my name," he repeated.

"You're name is Skywalker?"

"Um… yeah. Luke Skywalker."

Ezra pressed a hand to his forehead and walked away. "I don't understand," he said to himself.

"Care to explain what's going on?" Luke asked, but Ezra didn't reply.

"Could he be alive too?"

"Could who be alive?"

Ezra spun back around. "What's your father's name?" he asked.

"My… what?"

"Your father's name!"

Luke gulped. "His name… his name was Anakin," he said in a mousy voice.

"Was?"

"I never knew him. He died back during the Clone Wars."

Ezra shook his head. "No, that can't be. I was sent here for a reason."

"What do you mean you were sent here? Who sent you?"

Once again, Ezra ignored him. "Master Kenobi must know how to find him!" he said excitedly. "That has to be it!"

"He?" Luke asked. "Are you talking about… my father?"

"I have to find him!"

"Are you not listening? He's not around. Never has been."

Ezra waved his hand at him. "This is it," he said. "I'm sure of it." While Ezra began to pace, Luke walked over toward the bench and picked up the stew.

"You should eat this," he said to the boy.

Ezra glanced up at him. "Yeah, sure," he said absently.

"Now," Luke said sternly.

Conceding to his will, Ezra sat down on the bed and accepted the bowl. Looking down at the stew, he blew on it before raising the spoon to his lips.

"You're going to tell me what's going on," Luke said when Ezra took a tentative sip of the broth.

"The holocron guided me here," Ezra explained.

"The holocron? Is that what those pyramids are?"

"They're part of one," Ezra said. "It broke a while ago. This is all that remains."

Luke nodded as if he understood. "So what are they? Some sort of a navcom?"

"They're vessels of knowledge."

"Say what?"

"These fragments were part of a Sith holocron."

"Sith? What's that?"

Ezra gave him a blank stare. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"Hey!"

"Did you even know that you were Force-sensitive?"

"Force what?"

Ezra snorted. "I guess it's a good thing you didn't know," he said.

Beginning to grow frustrated with him by now, Luke stood up and placed his hands on his hips. "I want answers from you," he demanded.

Ezra took another bite of stew before responding. "What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Ezra Bridger. I'm a Jedi Padawan fighting against the Empire."

Stunned, Luke quickly sat back down. "You're with the Rebellion?" he asked, voice hushed in awe.

"Sure am," Ezra said proudly.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I told you, the holocron sent me. I'm trying to find an old Jedi Master by the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Have you heard of him?"

Luke shook his head. "I've never heard of any Obi-Wan, but maybe you mean old Ben?"

"Who's that?"

"Ben Kenobi. He's this old hermit who lives out beyond the Dune Sea."

"Can you take me to him?"

Luke took a moment to consider. He had a lot of work to do while the harvest came to a close. "I guess," he said eventually.

"Great!" Ezra set the bowl aside and got to his feet. "Let's go!"

"What? Now?"

"Yes now!"

"But why? Can't you at least wait until the morning?"

"He's in danger!"

"Danger? What kind of danger?"

"Someone's trying to kill him. I need to warn him before it's too late."

"Who's trying to kill him?"

"His name is Maul. I'd tell you more, but there's really no time. Are you going to help me or not?"

Luke faltered. "I…" He looked away toward Chopper who was watching him intently. "I can't," he said. "If my uncle found out, he'd kill me."

"Do you have any idea how important this is? Do you have any idea how important _you_ are?"

"Me?"

"You're the son of a Jedi Knight! And not just any Jedi! One of the most powerful ones there ever was!"

Blinking rapidly, Luke got to his feet so he could be at Ezra's level. "My father was a navigator on a spice freighter," he said. "Not a… what did you say? Jedi Knight? What even is that?"

Ezra pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I'll tell you on the way," he said. Luke opened his mouth to object, but Ezra cut him off. "Listen to your feelings," he instructed.

"My feelings? What are you –"

"You were meant to find me, Luke. We were meant to help each other! The Force willed it!"

Luke had no idea what that meant, but he found himself unable to deny it. How else could he explain how he had found Ezra out in the desert? It must have been fate, or something akin to it.

"Help me, Luke," Ezra entreated him. He extended his hand to him and Luke's eyes darted down. A beat passed as he considered.

"Alright," he said. Taking Ezra's hand, he gave it a shake. "I'll help you."

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan was panicking.

The Bridger boy's arrival had been a source of concern for him, but never in his worst nightmares could he have imagined this. He had taken his time, hoping against hope that the young Padawan would give up and turn back. Maul had clearly manipulated him into coming to Tatooine. He wanted Bridger to lure him out, but Obi-Wan wasn't going to give his old foe the satisfaction.

In retrospect, it had been a horrible decision. When he realized that Bridger wouldn't be able to live for much longer out in the desert, he had decided to take his dewback and rescue him. Bridger was nowhere to be found, however. At once, he had realized what must have happened. Anakin's son had intervened.

It was dark now and the dry desert air was bitterly cold. Obi-Wan wrapped his cloak around him tighter as his dewback plodded along at an infuriatingly slow pace. He needed to get to the Lars homestead before Maul did. That monster couldn't find the boy. If he did, all would be lost.

"I'm afraid, Master," he said to the night.

Obi-Wan received no response, but he hadn't expected to. He spoke to him often, but Qui-Gon only rarely responded. He sure could use his old master's advice right about now, however.

The distinctive dome of the homestead came into view in the distance. Before he could so much as sigh in relief, the sound of an engine caused him to spin his head backward. Terror seized his limbs when he saw a ship descending to the ground. He was too late! Maul was here!

Drawing his weapon, Obi-Wan leapt off the dewback and activated the blade. Sand billowed upward as the ship's propulsion slowed its descent. Finally, it set itself down and the hatch to the cockpit opened. Rather than springing forth like Obi-Wan had anticipated, Maul took his time getting out of his ship. Pulling himself out of the cockpit, the Sith stood atop the vessel and stared down at him for a long while with his lightsaber hilt in hand.

"Kenobi," he said finally. His voice was rife with bitterness, but devoid of the fiery hatred which he had heard all those years ago. This was an older and wearier version of the man he had known back during the Clone Wars. He knew Maul thought the same of him.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to respond, but he was stopped when he heard a voice call out. "Master!"

Spinning around, he saw Bridger jumping out of a speeder. His heart skipped a beat when he looked to the right and saw who was standing up from the driver's seat. It was Anakin's son himself. The wide-eyed boy was staring at the lightsaber in Obi-Wan's hand with a mixture of awe and apprehension. Oh Force, how could this have happened?

"You have proven yourself to me, my apprentice," Maul said before sliding down the side of his ship and landing on his feet with characteristic grace. He traipsed forward with an unpleasant grin stretched across his black lips. "You led me right to Kenobi."

"No!" Bridger yelled.

Obi-Wan raised his hand to stop the boy. "It's alright," he said with forced calm. "I will handle Maul on my own."

"I'm going to help you!" Bridger insisted. He then produced his lightsaber and activated a green blade.

Maul laughed, and Obi-Wan turned back to look at him. "You are nothing but a boy," he taunted.

"Was I any more when I defeated you on Naboo?" Obi-Wan asked evenly.

Maul's expression darkened. Kicking his foot in the sand, he held his lightsaber hilt out in front of him and activated both blades.

"You will pay," he threatened.

Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber. "I have done nothing for which I need to pay," he countered.

Maul narrowed his eyes and a tense moment passed. He suddenly looked past him toward the speeder.

"You," he said, the enunciation slow and ominous. "I've seen you before."

Obi-Wan didn't have to turn around to know what he was looking at. "Leave now," he ordered Bridger. "Take the boy with you."

Maul lowered his lightsaber and took another step forward. "Yes!" he said, voice bursting with excitement. "You are the one! You are Skywalker's son!"

This had to end now. He had wanted Maul to make the first move, but now Obi-Wan had no choice but to attack. Feet stumbling in the fine sand, Obi-Wan took off with his lightsaber raised over his shoulder. Before he reached Maul, the Sith thrust out his hand and pushed Obi-Wan back. He soared several feet in the air and landed in the sand by Bridger's feet.

"Master Kenobi!"

Getting back to his feet, Obi-Wan shoved Bridger away before slashing upward with his blade to parry Maul's.

"Go!" he ordered.

He had spent years preparing for this final encounter with Maul. Now he could remember none of his plans, however. Panic rendered his technique sloppy and his defenses vulnerable. Maul's double-bladed saber whirred menacingly as he pushed Obi-Wan back. He tried to clear his mind and focus on the duel, but all Obi-Wan could think about was Anakin's son. He couldn't fail him! He couldn't let Maul take him! All the years he had spent looking after him. It couldn't have all been a waste!

"Luke, let's go!"

Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Bridger running toward Maul's ship with an astromech droid right on his heels. Anakin's son began to follow them but he stopped himself. He turned back to watch the duel.

"Luke! Come on!"

Bridger had made it to the ship and was beckoning for Anakin's son to come with him.

"No!" Obi-Wan yelled. He couldn't get on that ship! He couldn't leave this planet!

A blow to Obi-Wan's chin sent him tumbling to the ground. Maul had hit him with the hilt of his lightsaber. Leaping into the air, the Sith raised his blade to deliver a mortal blow, but Obi-Wan managed to roll away just in time.

"Your powers are weak, old man!" Maul jeered as Obi-Wan struggled back to his feet.

"Your greed for power is what makes you weak, Maul," he shot back.

Maul laughed humorlessly at this response. "You were always a fool," he snarled. They began to circle each other, lightsabers still held at the ready. "And look what has become of you. A rat in the desert."

"Look what I have risen above," Obi-Wan said, raising his chin proudly.

The sound of engines roaring to life caused Obi-Wan's heart to sink. He ceased pacing and turned his back on Maul to see the ship flying off toward the stars. Utterly dejected, Obi-Wan dropped his lightsaber to the ground and fell to his knees. Behind him, he heard Maul prowling. A lightsaber hummed in his ear and his eyes darted to the left to see a red blade mere inches from his neck.

"I have dreamed of killing you for decades," Maul purred.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sighed. "Do you think revenge will grant you the finality you seek?" he asked with the utmost apathy.

Maul growled. "Before I kill you, I must know one thing," he said. Obi-Wan bowed his head and closed his eyes. "The boy."

"You will not touch him," Obi-Wan said.

He felt the lightsaber be pulled away as Maul walked around toward his front. Obi-Wan didn't look up as he waited for his foe to speak.

"Skywalker," he hissed. "The son of Vader."

At this, Obi-Wan finally raised his head. How did Maul know about that?

"I tried to warn his Padawan," Maul said, answering Obi-Wan's unasked question. "I offered her my hand, but she refused to believe me. In your obduracy, you Jedi allowed this to happen! You brought this ruin upon us!"

"You blame me rather than the monster who was behind it all?" Obi-Wan asked. "Are you really that narrow-minded?"

Maul slashed his lightsaber into the ground, kicking up sand into Obi-Wan's lap. "I despise Sidious!" he roared. "I despise Vader! And I despise you! You are all responsible!"

Obi-Wan gave Maul a sympathetic look. "You and I both were betrayed," he said.

Maul scoffed at this. Raising his lightsaber, he pointed the blade at Obi-Wan's chin. "Enough of this," he said. "Tell me. Is he the Chosen One?"

Undeterred, Obi-Wan met Maul's yellow eyes with unfaltering calm. "He is," he said.

Maul's face twitched. It seemed he hadn't been expecting such a confident affirmative. A long silence followed as the two men stared at each other. Suddenly, Maul retracted his lightsaber and deactivated the blade.

"You will lead me to him," he demanded.

Obi-Wan blinked a few times in disbelief. "You aren't going to kill me?" he asked.

"In time," Maul said. "But if what you say is true, you might be useful to me yet, Kenobi."

"I don't know where he's gone," Obi-Wan said honestly.

"But you can find him," Maul insisted. "And together, we can get our revenge!"

"Revenge is not something I seek," Obi-Wan claimed.

"Oh no?" Maul asked. He kneeled down to Obi-Wan's level. "Did you not wish death upon me after I killed your master? Or what about after I murdered your friend the Duchess? Don't lie, old man. You hate me as much as I hate you!"

Obi-Wan grit his teeth and shook his head. "I don't hate you," he struggled to say. "I pity you."

Maul sneered at him before standing back up. As he loomed above, Maul contemplated Obi-Wan's impassive expression before offering him his hand. "You have a simple choice," he said. "Join me... or die."

There was no choice. Obi-Wan took his hand.


	2. Opaque

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kind comments and kudos. Here's the next installment!

Luke was seated in a bucket seat in the cabin of the ship Ezra had stolen. Rubbing his forehead with his thumb and index finger, he stared off into space and contemplated how he had gotten here. Everything had happened so fast.

After having snuck out of the homestead, he and Ezra hopped into the speeder and taken off into the desert. He had expected to drive all night and face his uncle's wrath in the morning when he returned, but it had only taken them five minutes to run into old Ben. The scene had been something out of a strange dream. The old hermit was wielding some kind of blue laser sword while he faced off against a red-colored zabrak who had just arrived in a spaceship.

Ezra had rushed forward to help, but Ben told him to stay back. The hermit and the zabrak began to duel and Luke had watched in awe. He probably would have been standing there still had Ezra not gotten him to run toward the ship and flee.

But what now? Where was Ezra taking him? He had to get back home! He had work to do in the morning. What would his aunt and uncle think if they found his bed empty? They'd think he ran away!

Getting to his feet, Luke marched purposefully out of the cabin. When he arrived in the cockpit, he noticed that they were in hyperspace already – out the window a swirl of blue and white churned. He realized with a start that this was the first time he had ever left Tatooine.

"Hey, Luke."

He faltered when Ezra greeted him without turning. Had he heard him enter? Luke thought he had been quiet.

"You want to go back."

Luke crossed his arms as he looked at the back of Ezra's head. "I need to get back home."

At this, Ezra spun his chair around to look at him directly. "We can't go back," he told him.

"Why not?"

"That man you saw fighting Master Kenobi is named Maul. He's a very dangerous person."

"Dangerous how?"

Ezra shook his head. "Now that he knows where you are, you can't ever go back to Tatooine."

"But it's my home!"

"I had to leave my home too."

That gave Luke pause. "You did?"

"The galaxy is a dangerous place for people like you and me."

"People like you and me? What does that mean?"

"The Empire tracks down and murders those who can use the Force. They view us as a threat to their rule."

Luke had no idea what to say to this. He asked question after question, but never did Ezra give him anything resembling a comprehensive answer. The boy might as well be speaking a different language entirely.

"Look, I don't think I'm the right person to explain this to you," Ezra said. "When we get back to base, my master will help you understand."

This was far from a satisfying response for Luke. "But what about my aunt and uncle?" he asked. "If that man is as dangerous as you say, aren't they in danger?"

Ezra hesitated. "I'm sure Master Kenobi will protect them."

"You don't know that!"

Ezra stood up from the pilot's seat. "You're right, I don't," he said. "But what I do know is that bringing you back would put us all in danger."

Luke remained unconvinced, but he couldn't bring himself to object. While of course he wanted his aunt and uncle to be safe, he knew there was nothing he could do to help them. He had seen Ben and Maul duel. Clearly they were both immensely talented warriors.

"What is that?" Luke asked, gesturing to the device on Ezra's belt. "Ben had one of them, didn't he?"

"This is a lightsaber," Ezra said as he unclipped it from his belt. "It's a Jedi's weapon."

"A Jedi," Luke repeated. Ezra seemed to use that word a lot.

"That's what you are meant to be, Luke. Your destiny lies ahead of you, not behind."

Luke nodded. He had always known this to be true. Tatooine wasn't where he belonged. For his whole life, he had dreamed of traveling across the stars. Now he finally had gotten his chance.

There would be no looking back.

Δ Δ Δ

The next morning, Obi-Wan was seated at a booth in the Mos Eisely Cantina. To his left sat Maul, forearms rested on the table and hood up. Neither spoke to each other as they collectively scanned the dimly-lit premises. Every now and then he would glance to his left at the Sith whom he had allied himself with. Was it not a betrayal of his dignity and morality to be sitting next to this man?

He couldn't allow himself to think in this way. The urgency of the situation necessitated a temporary truce between them. Finding Anakin's son and returning him to Tatooine before he fell into the wrong hands was of paramount importance. Besides the galactic implications entailed with the boy's escape, Obi-Wan also had a personal obligation to bring him back home.

After they had made their pact, he and Maul had gone to the Lars homestead and told Owen and Beru what had happened. The Lars' reactions couldn't have been anymore different. Owen had been furious that the boy had left with a complete stranger whereas Beru was distraught and absolutely terrified that he might be in danger.

" _I will do everything in my power to bring him home,_ " Obi-Wan had assured her. " _I promise you, nothing bad will happen to him._ "

It had been a lie, but Beru had been grateful for it. All the while, Obi-Wan had been fascinated by Maul's silence. The zabrak had accompanied him to the homestead, but he had allowed Obi-Wan to do all the talking. He had observed from the shadows, as he was so adept at doing. Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but he got the impression that Maul had been moved by Beru's emotion. Or perhaps he had merely been perplexed by it. After all, love was never something Maul could understand.

"Tell me," Maul said suddenly. "How did Skywalker manage to produce a son?"

Obi-Wan frowned at him. "Why should you care?" he asked.

"I am merely curious," Maul said with a lackadaisical shrug. "The Jedi forbid such things, did they not?"

"They did," Obi-Wan confirmed, wincing involuntarily at the use of tense.

"Then how?"

Obi-Wan looked away and sighed. "Anakin never thought much for rules," he said, his voice heavy.

"Quite unlike his master."

Obi-Wan bowed his head and stared at the edge of the table. "What is the purpose of this interrogation?"

"Your dogma brought about your downfall, Kenobi. You are obsessed with that precious Jedi Code, but what did it do for you? Nothing. Skywalker broke it and he broke you."

Obi-Wan looked up and met Maul's yellow eyes. "Would you rather I be like you?" he asked. "You value nothing but the chaos you sow."

Maul bared his razor-sharp teeth and turned away. They fell into silence after this tense exchange and resumed their reconnoiter of the cantina. Aliens of all species and creeds milled about amidst a clamorous yet decidedly cheery music coming from a band of Biths on the stage. Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose at the stale stench in the air as his eyes darted back and forth. He abhorred establishments such as this. They were so uncivilized. After several minutes, Maul finally spoke.

"There. That's the one."

Obi-Wan followed Maul's gaze. On the opposite side of the bar he saw a young gunslinger entering the cantina with a Wookiee at his side. The leather-vested man swaggered down the stairs and rested his left hand on his holster as he looked around.

"Him?" Obi-Wan asked. "Are you sure?"

"Do you doubt me?"

Bemused by the question, Obi-Wan turned to look at Maul. "Perpetually," he said.

Maul rolled his eyes. "I will handle this," he said. The zabrak began to stand up, but Obi-Wan stopped him.

"I don't think so," he said. "They didn't call me the Negotiator for nothing."

Maul seemed to concede the point and Obi-Wan got to his feet with a groan. He donned his cowl as he slowly meandered through the crowd of recreants and villainy. Keeping his head low, he made his way to the bar and glanced furtively at the young man whom Maul had identified. He had ordered a drink and was talking animatedly with his Wookiee companion.

"I'm tellin' ya, we're fine," he said with a wave of his hand. He wasn't making much of an effort to keep his voice down, and Obi-Wan could clearly hear every word despite being several meters away. "We'll pay him back sometime later. Jabba can't do anything to us without losing our ship. The _Falcon_ 's way too valuable." The Wookie growled skeptically and the young man shook his head. "I'll find a way to get the credits," he insisted. "You just need to show a little faith in me, that's all."

Seizing his chance, Obi-Wan slipped past a couple of humanoids and approached the partners. "Forgive me for intruding, but I happened to overhear that you two are in the possession of a ship."

The man and the Wookiee turned to give him suspicious looks. "You're a sneaky old bastard, aren't ya," the man said. "Where did you come from?"

Obi-Wan smiled thinly and chose not to answer the question. "I also heard that you are in need of credits," he said. "Perhaps we could be mutually beneficial to one another."

The man pushed himself away from the bar and took a step toward him. "What are you proposing?" he asked.

"My… companion and I require transportation," Obi-Wan said in a hushed voice. He looked over his shoulder to see Maul watching him from the corner booth.

The young man followed Obi-Wan's eyes. "Is that your companion?" he asked. "Real shady lookin' fella, if you don't mind me saying." The Wookiee roared in agreement.

"I will give you time to consider," Obi-Wan said. With that, he turned around and walked back toward the booth. When he returned, Maul gave him a perplexed look.

"Why did you leave?" he asked.

"It's better for them to come to us," Obi-Wan said as he sat down.

"And will they?"

"I'm sure of it."

He and Maul watched as their prospective pilot and the Wookiee discussed. Every few moments, the young man would glance over at them. The sweat on his brow and jittery motions of his hands indicated that he was apprehensive about the endeavor. Maul's glowing eyes and fearsome demeanor no doubt served to heighten the poor man's anxiety.

"How did you know he was a pilot?" Obi-Wan asked to pass the time.

"How did you not?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at this facetious response. "We Jedi tend not to generalize," he said.

"You are fools not to. People are as they seem, Kenobi."

"And what about you? Are you as you seem?"

Maul offered no response to this inquiry. Smiling to himself, Obi-Wan returned his attention to the bar to see that the young man and the Wookiee had ceased deliberating and were making their way toward them.

"It seems I was right," Obi-Wan said.

"A rarity," Maul sneered.

Obi-Wan chuckled before assuming a neutral countenance when the man and the Wookiee arrived. The former placed his hands on his hips while the latter glanced around to see if anyone was taking any notice to this meeting. Of course nobody was. Shady dealings were ubiquitous in a place such as this.

"My name's Han Solo, captain of the _Millennium Falcon,_ " the man said, his chin inclined proudly. "This here is Chewie, my first mate."

"Well met," Obi-Wan said.

Han frowned. "Care to tell me your names?"

"Anonymity would be in our mutual best interest," Obi-Wan said wryly.

"Well I disagree," Han said. "If I'm going to be giving you two transport, I'd like to know who I'm dealing with. Because no offense, but you guys are giving me criminal vibes."

For the first time, Maul spoke. "Is criminality something that bothers you, Captain Solo?"

Han narrowed his eyes before sitting down. He leaned across the table and lowered his voice, so much so that it was barely audible over the music. "Not in the slightest," he said. "It all depends on the type. What are you two guys involved with? Spice? Weapons? That's got to be it. You're arms dealers, aren't you?"

Obi-Wan shared an amused look with Maul. "Let's just say we don't want any Imperial entanglements," he said.

Han leaned back in his seat. "Oh, I see," he said. "Rebel business, huh? That's a little too hot for me, I got to say."

"You will not be asked to participate in our business. All we ask of you is to provide us with transportation and nothing more."

"Where to?"

"Alderaan."

The pilot glanced up at his first mate. "Let's talk price," he said.

"Name a figure."

Han grinned and shook his head. "That's not how this works," he said.

"I do not intend to negotiate with you. Credits are the least of our concern. Name any sum within reason, and we will pay it."

The captain blinked a few times in surprise. "You're serious?"

"How about we pay off your debt to this Jabba and we add five thousand credits on top?"

Han's eyes turned wide. "How did you –"

"I overheard your conversation, remember?"

The captain looked sheepish. "Oh, right."

"So do we have a deal?"

Han scratched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, man. That's a pretty steep price."

"How steep?"

He took a moment to consider. "Twenty five thousand credits steep."

Obi-Wan smiled. That was a drop in the bucket to a man like Bail Organa. "It's a deal."

"It is?" Maul asked.

"Yes, it is," he said without looking at his companion.

"You sure you can pay that?" Han asked.

"You will receive your payment when we arrive," Obi-Wan told him.

"Hold on, you mean you can't pay me up front?"

"No," Obi-Wan admitted freely.

Han scoffed at this and pushed out his chair. "Then it's no deal," he said. The captain tried to stand up, but he found that he was unable.

"We are being very generous to you, Captain," Maul growled. He extended a hand and pointed a long-nailed finger toward the terrified man. "You _will_ bring us to Alderaan."

"You're crazy," Han managed to say through gritted teeth.

Obi-Wan considered intervening, but he decided against it. He scratched his beard and watched with curious apathy.

"Take the deal, Captain Solo," Maul demanded. He curled his finger and clenched his hand into a fist. Han's eyes bulged out of his sockets and the Wookiee let out a startled grunt.

"I think that's enough," Obi-Wan said calmly.

Maul smashed his fist to the table and released Han from his grasp. "So what do you say?" he asked as the pilot massaged his throat and retched. "Do we have an agreement?"

Δ Δ Δ

Luke was pacing in the cabin when the ship lurched forward a bit. They had been descending for several minutes and it seemed they had just touched down.

His suspicions were confirmed when Ezra emerged from the cockpit. "We're here," he said, walking past him toward the hatch.

"Where is here?" Luke asked. Ezra had yet to give him a straight answer on where they were going.

"This is our base," Ezra told him. "We named it after Chopper, actually."

Luke looked around to see the droid warbling proudly. "You did? Um… why?" Chopper gasped in indignation and rolled toward him. Before Luke could react, the droid extended an arm and zapped him with a charge of electricity. "Ow!" he exclaimed, leaping backward in shock.

He heard Ezra chuckle. "Chopper helped us find the location," he explained before pressing a button. Luke rubbed his leg and turned to see a ramp beginning to unfurl. He held a hand up to his eyes when a bright morning light struck his retinas. "Come on," Ezra instructed.

Chopper pushed past them both and rolled down the ramp first. Following after him, the two boys walked side by side out of the ship. Looking around, Luke saw that they had landed in a bustling port. Ships, pilots, and crates of cargo dominated the premises. The port was enveloped in an all-encompassing shadow and Luke craned his head in awe to see an enormous structure looming above. It looked a bit like a spiky bush except the broad leaves seemed like they were made out of wood.

"Tell me this means what I want it to mean," spoke a gravelly voice.

Luke looked down to see Ezra had left his side and was being greeted by a lumbering alien with purple skin and pale yellow eyes. Behind him approached two others: a female Twi'lek with emerald skin and a slender man with a metal mask covering his eyes. Ezra glanced at these two before answering the question.

"I had to steal Maul's ship," he said.

"What happened to Maul?"

"I don't know."

Luke felt a tingling sensation on his neck. Looking away from Ezra, he saw the man with the facemask staring directly at him. Could he see him through that? Surely not.

"This is Luke," he heard Ezra say. Only then did the masked man look away from him.

"You made a friend?" he asked.

Ezra licked his lips as he glanced up at him. "Come on down," he requested. Luke did so hesitantly. He felt uneasy with the level of scrutiny on him. "Luke, these are my friends. This here is Zeb." He gestured toward the stocky alien and Luke nodded nervously.

"Don't be afraid, kid," Zeb said. "Never seen a Lasat before, I take it?"

Luke shook his head. "No," he said shyly.

"We don't bite," Zeb assured him with a wink.

"And then there's Hera," Ezra continued. "You can call her Captain Syndulla. She's in charge around here."

"Nice to meet you," Luke greeted.

The Twi'lek gave him an inquisitive look. "Likewise," she said with an edge of suspicion.

"And this is Kanan," Ezra concluded with a nod to the bearded man. "He's the one I told you about."

Kanan arched a brow. "Why did you do that?" he asked.

"We should talk," Ezra said. He spared Hera and Zeb an apologetic look. "Alone," he added.

"I assume this is Jedi related?" Hera asked.

"Sorry," Ezra said ruefully.

Luke felt Kanan's gaze on him, and once again he squirmed with discomfort. It was oddly unsettling to have someone stare at him without eyes.

"We'll go to the _Ghost_ ," Kanan said. "Come." He spun around on his heel and marched away purposefully.

Ezra didn't follow right away. "Hera, I'm sorry," he said. "I never should have left."

Hera smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're just happy you're back." Feeling as if he was intruding, Luke decided to leave Ezra behind and went hurrying after Kanan.

"Hey! Wait up!"

He didn't turn to his voice, but Kanan slowed his gait to allow Luke to catch up.

"You're blind, aren't you?" Luke asked. He cringed at himself when he realized how insensitive this question had been.

Kanan didn't seem to take offense. "I am," he said simply.

"But you can still see me. How?"

"There is more than one type of sight," Kanan said vaguely.

Luke didn't know what to say to this. They walked in silence for a little while longer until they arrived at a ship with a unique trapezoidal shape. "Is this the _Ghost_?" Luke asked.

Kanan nodded and walked up the ramp. Behind him, Luke heard Ezra running to catch up with them.

"Seal the hatch behind you, Ezra," Kanan instructed without looking at his apprentice.

Once the three of them were aboard, Ezra did as he said. There was a hiss, and the sounds of the port disappeared. "Come on," Ezra said. "Let's go to the main hold."

They proceeded down a hallway, but Luke lingered behind for a moment. This was only the second spaceship he had ever been in, but it gave him a distinctly different impression than Maul's. Whereas that one had been sterile and cold, this ship seemed far more inviting. Luke couldn't quite explain what it was, but the difference was clear as day to him. This wasn't just a ship: It was a home.

"Take a seat," Kanan ordered when they arrived in the main hold. A bench with leather padding curled around a circular checkered table in the corner of the room. Ezra gestured for Luke to sit first and he did so. "What you did was irresponsible, Ezra," Kanan said with his hands held behind his back.

Ezra bowed his head with shame. "I know, and I'm sorry," he said.

"You and I will talk about this later, but first I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"It was a trap," Ezra said as he rested his forearms on the table. "Maul used the holocron to lure me to Tatooine. He wanted to use me to find Master Kenobi."

"And did you?"

Ezra shook his head. "I was attacked by some natives. They blew up my ship and I had to walk across the desert at night."

"You're lucky to have survived," Kanan said grimly.

"I wouldn't have had Luke not found me."

Kanan turned to him. "Is that so?"

"I think he must have sensed me."

"Sensed?"

"He's Force-sensitive. The holocron activated when he touched it."

Kanan furrowed his brow. He contemplated Luke for a moment before speaking. "Did you know you were Force-sensitive?" he asked him.

Luke shook his head before remembering that Kanan couldn't see him. "I don't even know what that means," he said.

"Not surprising," Kanan mused. "Continue."

"Luke agreed to help me find Master Kenobi. We drove out into the desert, but Maul found him before we did."

"And?"

"They started dueling and Luke and I escaped on Maul's ship. I don't know what happened afterward." Kanan stroked his chin as he considered this. "I don't think I was meant to find Master Kenobi at all. It's not a coincidence that Luke happened to find me. The Force led him to me."

"Perhaps," Kanan mumbled.

"He's the son of a Jedi," Ezra said excitedly.

That got Kanan's attention. "What?"

"You remember the Jedi from the holocron? Ahsoka's former master?"

"Master Skywalker?"

"He's Luke's father!"

Incredulous, Kanan stared at Luke. "That's not possible," he said.

"I don't think you're right, Ezra," Luke tried to say, but Ezra ignored him.

"It's too much of a coincidence," he insisted. "Don't you think, Kanan?"

"The Jedi were not allowed to have attachments," Kanan said.

"But isn't it possible Luke's father broke the rules?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Ezra stood up and pointed at Luke. "Either way, he needs to be trained! Luke has to become a Jedi!"

Kanan shook his head. "I won't take on a second apprentice," he said. "I have my hands full with you already. Besides, I'm not the right man for this."

"Why not?"

Kanan didn't elaborate. "Perhaps…"

"Perhaps what?"

"There's someone I must consult."

"Who?"

"Bendu."

Ezra's eyes turned wide. "You think Bendu could train him?"

"No, of course not," Kanan said. "He might help clarify this, however."

"Who's Bendu?" Luke asked, once again feeling utterly perplexed.

"You will see," Kanan said, his answer opaque as always. "Tonight, I will take you to him."

Luke gulped. He wasn't sure this was a good idea.

"He's the secret to defeating the Sith," Ezra said. "He has to be!"

Kanan didn't share Ezra's enthusiasm. "We'll see," he said pensively.


	3. Help Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you got two emails. There was some weirdness with the publication date not updating to today. Hopefully that should be fixed now.

After their conversation with Kanan, Ezra led Luke on a tour of the _Ghost._ As they perused the various rooms, Ezra told him all about his surrogate family.

"This is Sabine's room," he said when the door opened.

Luke felt the breath leave him when he stepped in and found every inch of the walls covered with graffiti. His senses seemed to overload as he took in the vibrant pink, red, and yellow colors.

"Wow," he gasped.

Ezra hummed in agreement. "Yeah, she's quite the artist."

Luke detected a hint of melancholy in the boy's voice. "Where is she?" he asked. She hadn't been there to greet them at the port.

"Away," Ezra said. He gestured for Luke to follow him out of the room. "She's with her real family now."

"Her real family?"

"On Mandalore. She's helping organize the resistance against the Empire there."

"Wow," Luke said again. The more he learned about these people, the more amazed he became.

"Come on," Ezra said. "I'll show you the rest of the base."

Another hour flew by as they explored every nook and cranny of Chopper Base. Luke felt a bit overwhelmed as Ezra introduced him to more people than he could possibly remember. After a while, the faces all seemed to meld together in his mind. Living on his uncle's farm, he had never been around strangers all that often. This was a big change for him.

At one point, Luke found himself shaking hands with a man with an ironclad grip and callused touch.

"Luke, this is Captain Rex. He's a veteran from the Clone Wars."

"Good to meet you," Luke said for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

Captain Rex had a bald head and a snowy beard. His swarthy skin and impressive brawn contrasted with the gentle glint in his hazel brown eyes.

"Where you come from, kid?" he asked.

"Tatooine," Luke answered. He bobbed his head and felt a sudden urge to salute.

The corners of the captain's eyes crinkled when he smiled. "Tatooine, eh? Long way from home."

"Yeah," Luke mumbled.

"Luke's father was a Jedi," Ezra said and Luke quickly looked down. He didn't like how freely Ezra was sharing this dubious information.

Rex crossed his arms in front of his broad chest. "Is that so?" he asked.

A mischievous element passed Ezra's face. "Oh yeah," he said. "One you're pretty familiar with, if I recall."

Ezra had gotten Rex's complete attention by now. The captain leaned forward and stared intently at Luke's face. "Jedi never had children," he mumbled absently. Suddenly, his eyes turned wide and Luke could see the dawn of realization.

"His full name's Luke Skywalker," Ezra said.

Rex's jaw dropped. "You… you…"

Luke squirmed under the scrutiny. "I don't know if –"

"You look just like him!"

That caused Luke to pause. "I do?" he asked, voice small.

"I never knew him as a kid, but if I did, I'll bet he'd have looked a hell of a lot like you." Rex's eyes darted about and Luke suddenly felt as if he were a specimen being analyzed. The captain began speaking to himself in an undertone as he made note of Luke's appearance. "Same chin. Same eyes. The hair's a bit lighter, but you've got that same shaggy business going on."

"Rex?"

The captain looked away at Ezra's behest.

"I think you're making Luke uncomfortable."

Rex cleared his throat and took a step back. "Right," he said. "I apologize. I'm just…" He trailed off and his eyes sharpened as he took one last long look at Luke. "I'm lost for words."

"Maybe you two should talk some more later," Ezra suggested. "We're going to go meet up with Kanan now."

"I… I'd love to," Rex said dazedly.

"Sure," Luke agreed. While the captain's fascination with him was a bit unnerving, Luke couldn't wait to ask him more about his father. It sounded like Rex knew a lot about him, assuming the Jedi in question was Luke's real father after all. He still had his doubts about that.

"We should get going. See you around, Rex."

Leaving the stunned captain behind them, Ezra steered Luke away and back toward the mouth of the base. His irrepressible companion prattled on about something, but Luke wasn't listening. He felt a bit hollow all of a sudden. Rex's reaction played over and over in his head – the gasp of surprise, the twinge of skepticism, and more subtly, the pang of plaintive recollection.

"You've got to be careful about the giant spiders when we leave the base."

Luke was startled back to the present. "Wait, what?"

Ezra snickered at his reaction. "Yeah, you heard me right."

"Giant spiders?"

"That's just what we call them. Kanan has another name for them, but I can never remember."

"The krykna."

Luke and Ezra spun around to see Kanan walking toward them. There was something about the man which instilled confidence, and Luke found his fears of giant spiders ebbing away. The Jedi's movements were deliberate and effortless. He seemed utterly unimpaired by his lack of vision – indeed, something suggested to Luke that he was enhanced by it.

"Kry… krykna," Ezra repeated haltingly. "Right. That's a bit of a mouthful."

Kanan came to a stop and peered down at them. "That is their name," he said. "You ought to use it."

"Why?" Ezra asked.

"Respect requites respect," Kanan said. "You must learn to make peace with them."

"I tried that, remember? They wanted to eat my face!"

Kanan sighed at his apprentice's stubbornness. "Let's just go," he said. Walking past them, the blind man proceeded onward with that same grace. Luke and Ezra glanced at each other before following after him.

"Is someone going to tell me who this Bendu person is?" Luke asked. Neither Ezra nor Kanan responded for a while as they plodded along. Frustrated, Luke was about to open his mouth to insist for an answer when Kanan finally spoke.

"Bendu is not so much a who, but a what," he said.

Luke frowned. "What does that mean?"

"You said you don't know anything about the Force," Kanan said.

"Yeah," Luke said, brow twitching.

"Bendu will help you understand."

"How?"

No response came and Luke elected to drop the subject there. They had just reached the bottom of a winding trail and seemed to have arrived at the planet's surface. In the distance, Luke could see a ring of a beacons demarcating the periphery of the base. They looked a bit like vaporators, but shorter and stubbier.

"Those keep the spiders away," Ezra said when he saw what Luke was looking at. Kanan gave him a sharp look. "Sorry, the krykna," he amended hastily.

They continued onward without further conversation. He felt Ezra tense when they crossed the barrier of beacons, but Luke couldn't understand why. This was a beautiful planet, especially in relation to the only one he had ever known. Whereas Tatooine was featureless and forgettable, Atollon was teeming with life and vibrancy. Amidst jagged rocks and lush trees, a great many creatures scurried about. Their whispers drowned out the silence and Luke felt as if he was buzzing.

After several minutes of walking, they came to a stop when Kanan told them to halt. It was dark now, and Luke squinted ahead to see where they were.

"I don't see anything," he said.

"Close your eyes," Kanan instructed. "Perhaps that will give you greater sight."

Bewildered, Luke turned to Ezra. Rather than sharing his incredulity, the boy nodded at him.

"Go on," he said.

Pushing aside his skepticism, Luke closed his eyes. "Now what?" he asked.

"Listen."

Luke strained his ears, but all he heard was the same humming from the wildlife around them. "I don't hear anything," he said.

"That's because you're not listening."

"I am listening!"

"Don't listen to your surroundings. Listen to the Force. "

Luke had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Listen to the Force? He didn't even know what the Force was! He considered raising this point, but he knew Kanan wouldn't accept it. So rather than complaining, he took a deep breath and attempted to do as the Jedi asked.

For a long while, nothing happened. With his eyes closed, Luke's hearing was more highly attuned than before, but he still didn't know what he was supposed to be listening for. So rather than listening to every single sound around him, he stopped focusing on that and allowed himself to hear it all. Every chirp, scuffle, and buzz melded into one cohesive orchestra. It was a symphony of life, and the tune was at once plangent and cheerful.

"Do you see it?"

He did. Amidst the melodious choir, he felt something calling to him. It summoned him, latching onto his core and tugging him forward like a rope. Luke didn't resist and he began to walk. As he tread onward, he contemplated the voice pulling him. It was deep and guttural, ancient and ethereal. He had never before experienced something like this.

Without thinking, Luke came to an abrupt stop. He resisted the impulse to open his eyes. Instead, he tentatively extended his foot. An inch in front of him, the ground gave out. He was standing at the edge of a cliff! Yet the presence continued to call him. It wanted him to jump over the precipice.

"Dispel your fear," came Kanan's instruction. "Embrace the Force."

And so he did it. His heart dropped when he fell forward, but then his foot found solid ground again and he relaxed. Bracing his knees, he began to half-walk, half-stumble down a rocky hillside. He held his hands out at his sides to keep balance. After a minute, the grade of the hill flattened and he found himself on even ground once more.

Behind him, he heard Ezra and Kanan following down the slope. "Well done," Kanan said somewhere to his left. "You may open your eyes now."

Luke obliged. He looked around to find himself in a sandy basin. Ridged cliffs surrounded them on all sides. Directly ahead, Luke saw a rugged boulder of sorts. He stepped forward to take a closer look. Was it moving? It was! There was a rhythmic cadence – up and down, up and down – as if it was…

Breathing.

"Bendu!" called out Kanan.

Luke leapt back in fright when the monolith began to rise. He calmed a fraction when Kanan placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not fear," he told him.

Luke nodded and looked back at the massive creature before him. Bendu had a flat face with a broad-bridged nose and a dusty red beard which obscured much of his barrel-shaped body. Proud wooden antlers jutted out from his head and forearms which were mottled with bumps, bubbles, and creases. Luke suddenly realized why he looked so familiar to him. Bendu was like a manifestation of the planet itself.

The mammoth leaned forward and rested his fists on the ground. "Kanan Jarrus," he rumbled. His sonorous voice caused the air to ripple and the ground to shake. "You have returned." Bendu flared his nostrils and narrowed his eyes at Luke. "And you have brought another," he said. Luke couldn't tell if he was upset by this.

"I need your help," Kanan said.

"Do you? Or do you merely seek to relieve yourself of your responsibilities?"

For the first time, Luke saw Kanan flustered. His unruffled disposition disintegrated as he sputtered in indignation. "I… I have no idea… what are you talking about?"

"You knew who this boy was before you brought him to me," Bendu said.

Kanan gnashed his teeth. "I… well, yes, but –"

"Then you must do what needs to be done."

"But I don't know what to do!"

"Don't you?"

Kanan stepped away from Luke's side and raised a finger toward Bendu. "I am not capable of this responsibility," he said.

"Your self-doubt cripples you, Kanan Jarrus."

"I'm just being realistic!"

"You could train young Bridger. What makes this boy any different?"

"You know what!"

Bendu frowned and looked past Kanan toward him. Luke caught his breath when he met the creature's eyes.

"Your name," Bendu requested.

Luke opened his mouth, but no words came. He swallowed hard and tried again. "Luke," he managed to say. Bendu said nothing, and Luke realized what he was waiting for. "Skywalker," he added. "Luke Skywalker."

"Ah, yes," Bendu hummed. "Skywalker." He scrutinized him for a moment longer before raising a massive fist and beckoning him forward. "Come," he said.

Luke felt frozen, but a gentle push from Ezra compelled him to approach. Kanan stepped aside and Luke was forced to face Bendu on his own.

"The Force calls to you," the sage proclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Luke asked, his voice squeaky.

"There is much you do not know, Luke Skywalker."

"About what?"

A hint of a smile appeared on Bendu's brown lips. "Ignorance is inherent with youth," he said. "You have yet to realize the tremendous burden on your shoulders."

"Burden? What burden?"

"The Force is in flux," Bendu said, bowing his head with a grimace. "The light and the dark… never have they been so out of balance. You have the power to fix this."

"I do?" Luke asked.

"Tread confidently, yet carefully, Luke Skywalker. The mysteries of the Force will unravel before you, but only if you allow them."

"I… I don't understand."

Bendu inclined his chin and peered down at him for several long moments. "I do not interfere," he said finally. "I promote neither light nor dark. I am the middle. But perhaps…" He trailed off and exhaled. "Perhaps I can provide some guidance."

Before Luke could ask what this meant, Bendu stood up on his bowlegs and stepped aside to reveal a series of caves at the far end of the ravine. "I don't think –" Kanan began to say, but Bendu stopped him.

"The boy will be fine," he said. "Enter, Luke Skywalker. The secrets you seek await."

Luke realized he was tapping his foot on the ground and quickly stopped himself. He took a step forward, but Ezra reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Luke, you shouldn't –"

"I'll be fine," he insisted, oddly confident of this. He gave Ezra a reassuring smile. "Don't worry."

Ezra glanced at his master. "Let him go, Ezra," Kanan said.

Releasing him, Ezra stepped away and crossed his arms. "Just be careful," he said.

Luke nodded absently and returned his attention to the caves. He felt a chill run down his spine as a frisson of anticipation barraged his senses. Simultaneously afraid and excited, anxious and exhilarated, Luke pressed forward without hesitation.

Stepping out of Bendu's shadow, Luke let go of himself as he descended into the darkness.

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan was seated on the floor with his legs crossed. He was attempting to meditate, but the occasional sound – typically a growl in frustration or a roar in triumph – made things especially difficult. Peeping open an eye, he glanced over at the checkered table where Maul was playing a game of Dejarik with the Wookiee whom he now knew as Chewbacca.

"You must be cheating," Maul said to himself. He rested his elbows on the table and ran a hand over his bald head. "There's no other explanation!"

The Wookiee chortled at his opponent's distress and made another move, eliminating yet another one of Maul's pieces.

"No!" the Sith exclaimed, smashing his fist into the board. The Dejarik figures flickered for a moment, but the reality of the situation was unaffected: Maul was going to lose.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself wryly. Maul thought he was in control here, but really it was Obi-Wan who held all the cards. He alone knew how to find Anakin's son, and Maul wouldn't do anything to jeopardize finding him. But Obi-Wan had no intention of letting Maul get anywhere near the boy. When the time was right, he would make his move.

And then what? Should he return to Tatooine with Anakin's son in tow as he had told Beru he would do? Would the boy even want to go back? He had to expect that Bridger would tell his new friend everything and anything about the Force and about Jedism. In that case, Obi-Wan knew there would be no point in returning to seclusion. Should Anakin's son begin to realize his powers, nowhere in the galaxy would be remote enough to keep him safe.

The time to fight had come. Obi-Wan had long awaited this day, but he had not expected it to come so soon. It felt premature. The boy was not yet ready. How could he ask so much of him at such a young age?

"Did Chewie beat you again?"

Obi-Wan opened his eyes again to see their pilot saunter into the main hold. He leaned against the circular doorway and offered Maul a smug smile.

"I can't lose to this beast," Maul growled.

Han's expression turned stony. "Watch it," he warned. "Chewie beat you fair and square."

Maul bared his teeth yet didn't offer a retort. Hoping to ameliorate the tension, Obi-Wan got to his feet.

"How long until we arrive?" he asked.

The pilot gave Maul one last contemptuous look before turning away. "Soon," he said. "An hour, maybe."

Just then, a blaring sound erupted from somewhere behind him. Obi-Wan covered his hands with his ears and spun around.

"Not again," Han bemoaned. "Chewie, come on."

"Care to explain?" Obi-Wan asked over the high pitched squeal.

"It's nothing," Han yelled. "It sounds worse than it is. We've just got a bit of a leak in the Quad."

"The Quad?"

Han waved a hand. "It's the power core," he said. "Short for Quadex. Don't worry about it. Chewie and I will handle it."

Far from inspired by the pilot's tone, Obi-Wan watched with apprehension as he and the Wookiee hurried past him and took a left out of sight.

"This fool is going to get us both killed, isn't he?" Maul quipped from the bench.

Obi-Wan snorted with mordant humor. "And put us out of our misery," he mumbled, voice inaudible because of the deafening sound from the power core. Sobered, Obi-Wan turned toward his foe and partner. "What do you intend to do with the boy?" he asked now that they were alone.

"Use him," Maul answered at once.

"How?"

"To defeat Sidious."

Obi-Wan clasped his hands in front of him as he stepped forward. "You think this boy can defeat the Emperor?"

"He is the Chosen One, is he not?"

"He may be, but that does not negate the fact that he is a boy."

"I don't care about that," Maul snarled. "The Emperor stole me from my mother when I was an infant. He raised me to be his tool. I will do the same with this boy."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Do you not see your hypocrisy? You seek to destroy your enemy by employing the very tactics which made you despise him."

"I will do what must be done to exact revenge."

"And then what? Say you do get your revenge. You kill me, Vader, and the Emperor. What will be left for you?"

"Immaterial," Maul dismissed without a moment's consideration.

Obi-Wan sat down on the far end of the bench opposite Maul. The more he thought about the man, the more sympathy he felt for him. Maul had nothing but his drive for revenge. It inspired him to do truly terrible things, of which Obi-Wan had borne the brunt of the consequence. Even so, he could admit that while he was indubitably a monster, it was only because Sidious had molded him into one. Had circumstances been different, Maul could have been a very different man. The evil within him wasn't intrinsic like it was with Sidious.

Such an observation was nugatory. Maul was a wicked man, irrespective of how he might have become that way. He had killed his master! He had killed Satine!

Obi-Wan stood up abruptly and paced away a few lengths. He forced himself to breath. Revenge is not the Jedi way, he told himself. Over and over, he repeated the mantra. Revenge is not the Jedi way. Revenge is not the Jedi way. Revenge is not –

"You think I can't sense your conflict?" Maul asked.

Obi-Wan balled his hands into fists and shook his head. "I can control my emotions," he said through gritted teeth. "My hatred for you does not affect me."

"You should let it."

He turned around to see Maul standing as well. The zabrak's yellow eyes glowed as he stared at him hungrily. "You could be so much more, Kenobi."

"And you could be so much less."

Maul laughed humorlessly and took a step toward him. "We have made each other stronger," he purred. "My hatred for you empowers me! Let your hatred for me empower you as well!"

Obi-Wan raised his chin and stared Maul down. "You are a shell," he said, and for a fraction of a second, Maul's expression faltered. Choosing to interpret this as a victory, Obi-Wan gave him one last pitiful look before pushing past Maul and walking out of the main hold. He felt Maul's eyes burning on the back of his skull as he departed.

Only when he reached the hallway and was out of sight did Obi-Wan unclench his fists and release the breath he had been holding in.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke didn't know where he was. He had entered the caves and traversed down a winding path for a few minutes until his surroundings began to fade away – slowly at first, but then all of a sudden they were gone entirely. Darkness enveloped him. None of his senses seemed to function anymore. There was no smell nor feeling. It was as if he had transcended into a separate plane entirely.

"Hello?" he called out.

Echoes.

" _Hello…o….o….o._ "

He tried again.

"Hello!"

" _Hello…o…o…ooo…ooo._ "

The echo of his voice was distorting into something different. The tone deepened and the reverberations rippled through his body like waves.

" _ooo…chh…koo…chh…koo…chh._ "

What was that sound? It was rhythmic and regular.

" _koo…chh…koo…chh._ "

"Who's there?"

" _koo…chh…koo…chh._ "

Luke was shivering now. He hadn't realized the cold until his teeth began to chatter violently. A creeping fear suffused his core, and he was rendered immobile.

_Dispel your fear. Embrace the Force._

"I'm not afraid," he said.

" _Then you will die braver than most._ "

Luke was thrown off his feet when a colossal gale struck him in the chest. The empty realm suddenly exploded in vibrant colors which flashed before his eyes. Red, white, and electric blue crackled and coruscated, overloading Luke's hitherto absent senses. His chest felt tight and he found himself unable to breath.

" _koo…chh…koo…chh._ "

His vision cleared, and Luke saw a hulking figure looming above him. Dressed all in black, the man's face was obscured by an angular mask with blood red lenses. There was a flash of white, and Luke gasped when he saw the eyes beneath the mask. They were familiar to him…

" _Luke._ "

He was frozen, mouth hanging agape as he and the man stared at each other.

" _Help me._ "

The scene dissolved and Luke found himself lifted back to his feet by an invisible force. He stumbled, having not been prepared to support his own weight. His hands found solid rock and he stabilized himself. Blinking a few times, he realized that he was back in the cave.

What had just happened? Who was that man and why had he seemed so familiar? He had threatened to kill him, had he not? But then why had he asked for his help? Help with what?

The questions ran through him like wildfire, but his rampant curiosity was abruptly put out when he heard a clicking sound behind him.

"Ah!"

He spun around to see a massive creature with five black eyes staring at him. It had a grey bulb for a body and six spindly legs. This must be one of the spiders Ezra was talking about.

The spider's pincers began to quiver as it took a step toward him. Panicking, Luke turned around to run.

"Kanan!" he cried out. "Ezra!"

Luke took a sharp turn and the spider went barreling into the cave wall. It recovered quickly, however, and resumed its pursuit. By now there were multiple spiders coming after him, and the whole cave was abuzz with cacophonous clicks.

"Help!"

He swerved and dodged as spiders flung themselves at him from all sorts of angles. Taking a left, Luke saw a faint glow in the distance. There!

His path was blocked and Luke was forced to flee in the opposite direction. Why had Bendu sent him here? Had he known he was going to be attacked? Was this all some kind of test?

Exhausted, Luke pounded to a stop. He turned around with his hands on his knees to face the spiders. Half a dozen of them closed in on him, their dark eyes glinting and their pincers prickling. Luke took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I'm not afraid," he said again.

But it was a lie. Luke was terrified.

"I'm not afraid!"

Acting on instinct, he extended a hand. The chorus of clicks mellowed into a gentle hum and Luke felt his fear ebbing away. They weren't a threat to him.

"I'm not afraid," he said, his voice clear with confidence.

"Nor should you be."

Luke opened his eyes. The spiders blinked at him, utterly harmless all of a sudden. They stepped aside and allowed a narrow passage for him to walk through.

"You did well."

It was Kanan. The Jedi was standing at his side with his own hand extended as well.

"You came for me," Luke said numbly.

Kanan looked somber. "Come on. Let's go."

The pair stepped forward in unison, the spiders on their flanks serving as a benign honor guard. Luke trembled involuntarily, but it was more so in awe than in fear.

"Bendu was right," Kanan commented. "The Force calls to you like none other."

"What does that mean?"

A reticent Kanan didn't respond. They emerged at the end of the corridor and once again Luke's eyes darted to the glowing entrance to the cave.

"I will do what I can to train you," Kanan said finally. The spiders had slipped away into the darkness and they were now alone. "There is only so much I can teach you. You require a Jedi Master, not me."

Luke bobbed his head, pretending as if he understood. Everyone spoke of him as if he was some sort of exceptionally powerful person. He didn't feel powerful. Above all else, he felt confused.

They emerged from the entrance and both Kanan and Luke held a hand up to their eyes as they adjusted to the fading light. Ezra came running toward them, stress writ large across his face.

"Kanan!" he called out.

"Where's Bendu?"

Ezra came to a stop and looked them over with anxious eyes. "He's gone," he told them. "What happened?"

Kanan looked down at Luke and patted his shoulder. "Everything's fine."

"Luke's okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm okay."

Ezra relaxed a fraction. "It's pretty late. Hera doesn't want us out after dark."

"Then let's head back," Kanan said. His hand slipped off Luke's shoulder and he walked ahead. Luke began to follow, but something compelled him to look back. A whisper sounded from the mouth of the cave.

_Luke._

_Help me._

The memory of the man's red-tinted eyes flashed before him. They were pleading, desperate, and oh so familiar.

"I will," Luke said to himself. "I'll help you."

He didn't know how nor why, but he was determined to find a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Next chapter will feature the reigning 'Best Space Dad of the Galaxy' champion, Bail Organa, as well as the introduction of a certain Alderaanian princess.


	4. Platitude

Alderaan was a pearl of a planet.

At least, that's how Obi-Wan saw it when he stepped off the _Falcon_. For sixteen years, he had been living on the backwater that was Tatooine. Drab and mundane were the two defining features of that dust ball.

The first thing he noticed was the mountains. The craggy mesas and sandy dunes of Tatooine could not compare to the glamorous alps of Alderaan. Precipitously steep, the jagged summits were dusted with bright white snow which glinted against the blue backdrop of the cloudless sky.

"General Kenobi?"

He looked away from the skyline with a blithe smile. An attentive middle-aged man in a spotless white uniform was saluting to him.

"You may not remember me, but we met briefly aboard the _Tantive_ _IV_ after… well, after the Republic fell."

Obi-Wan's smile cracked into a grimace. "Ah yes. Antilles, is it?"

Antilles' face lit up. "Yes, sir. Raymus Antilles. It's an honor to make your acquaintance again, sir."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Likewise."

Antilles saluted again before returning to business. "The viceroy asked me to escort you to the palace," he told him.

"Are you sure? I arrived unannounced. Is there not a protocol you must follow first?"

The man gave him a rueful look. "Uh… technically, but –"

"Follow your protocol. I don't want you cutting corners on my behalf."

"Very well, sir. We'll have to search your ship."

"No bother."

Spinning around on his heel, Antilles departed from the landing pad.

"What was that?"

Obi-Wan turned around to meet Han's affronted expression.

"Whatever you are smuggling, Captain Solo, I advise you hide it well."

Han gaped at him. "I'm not smuggling anything!"

"Are you sure?"

The captain blanched and Chewbacca bleated something nervously.

"Perhaps you should deal with that now."

Without any further delay, the pair hurried back up the ramp. Obi-Wan chuckled as they scampered away and into the hull of the ship.

"You are wasting my time, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan sighed at his companion. "Have patience," he instructed.

They fell into a silence which was interrupted only by the occasional discharge of exhaust from the freighter behind them. Maul crossed his arms in front of his chest and craned his head. "Ostentatious," he growled.

The Sith couldn't have been any more wrong. The palace before them was the definition of elegance. Proud silver and topaz spires sprawled to the sky, replicating the mountains in which they were surrounded. Domes and cupolas made of sparking glass and durasteel support trusses capped the many towers. The eye naturally gravitated to the tallest such tower; Its peak blotted out the sun and produced a narrow umbra in which they were presently bathed.

Han and Chewbacca returned just before Antilles did. Breathing heavily, the captain nudged Obi-Wan's ribs. "Thanks for that," he grumbled.

"Think nothing of it," Obi-Wan replied facetiously.

The Alderaanians were quick in their sweep of the _Falcon._ Ten minutes after they entered the freighter, the eager Antilles returned to inform them that they were all set to go. He clicked his heels and led them down the platform toward the palace. Han and Chewbacca stayed behind with their ship, as per their agreement.

Obi-Wan and Maul walked side by side, their lightsabers bouncing against their legs as they marched in unison. Entering a grandiose atrium, they carried on toward an elevator. The three were silent during the ascent. Obi-Wan could sense their guide's unease. Maul had that effect on people.

The elevator slowed to a stop and Obi-Wan felt himself decompress. "These are the personal rooms of the Royal Family," Antilles informed them when he stepped out. "The viceroy asked me to bring you here right away."

"How very thoughtful of him," Obi-Wan said.

As with the rest of the palace, the Organa's rooms were tastefully furnished. They walked down a marble hallway and arrived in a circular living room with plush white and gold couches, verdant potted plants, and a serene pool of crystal water. Amber light poured in from the arched windows situated at the four cardinal points of the rotunda, and flecks of dust could be seen torpidly floating up toward the vaulted ceiling.

"I don't believe it."

Obi-Wan ceased admiring the décor to see Bail Organa walking toward them from the opposite hallway. The barrel-chested viceroy stopped at the edge of the pool and peered at him with his hands on his hips.

"General Kenobi."

"Viceroy," he said with a bow of his head.

Organa set his jaw. "You may leave us, Captain Antilles."

Antilles saluted. "Yes sir."

The man's footsteps dwindled away. As they waited, Obi-Wan took the opportunity to assess how much Organa had changed since he had last seen him sixteen years ago. While the years clearly hadn't affected him as much as they had with Obi-Wan, the former senator was visibly older. His once impeccably black hair was now greying at the sides by his ears while his well-groomed goatee was fully silver. The wrinkles lining his forehead and dark rings under the eyes revealed his lassitude.

"So," he said once they were alone. "What brings you to Alderaan after all this time?"

Obi-Wan got the impression that Organa was not pleased to see him. "Perhaps we should speak in a more secure setting," he suggested.

"We are alone here."

"Is your family away?"

"Breha is attending to royal matters."

"And your daughter?"

Organa crossed his arms. "She is off planet," he said, tone guarded.

"Off planet?"

"You're not taking her, if that's what you want."

"Is that what you think this is about?"

"I don't know. You tell me, General."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I am not here for her."

"What is this about, Kenobi?" Maul interjected.

"It is none of your concern."

Organa's eyes narrowed to slits. "Who is this man?" he asked.

"An acquaintance."

"Care to be more specific?"

"I'd rather not."

"And why might that be?"

Maul made a low sound in frustration. "You told me this man would help us."

"And he will."

"He doesn't seem particularly amenable."

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose and summoned his composure. "I come bearing bad news," he informed the viceroy. "The boy has gone missing."

Hostility gave way to shock. "Gone missing?" Organa echoed in horror. "How?"

"He was discovered by a young Jedi. I was hoping you might be familiar with him."

"His name?"

"Ezra Bridger."

Much to his relief, Organa nodded at once. "I know of Bridger," he said.

"Do you know where to find him?"

His spirits plummeted when the viceroy shook his head. "I know he has been operating with Phoenix Squadron. For security purposes, I do not know where they are headquartered."

"But you can find out, can't you?"

"I can. It might take some time, however."

"Why?"

"Confidential information cannot be transmitted via hologram. The risk of detection is too great." Organa spared a suspicious glance toward Maul. "I would have to go to the Alliance's headquarters and ask Senator Mothma herself."

"How long will that take?"

Organa dismissed the question with a flourish of his hand. "I will speak no more on this subject in front of this man," he said.

"You can trust him."

"Vague assurances will not placate me, General."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and glanced at Maul. "Perhaps you should leave us."

Maul acted as if he hadn't heard him. Hands held behind his back, he began pacing around the perimeter of the pool toward Organa.

"You and I have a common enemy, Viceroy," he drawled.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," Maul said, uttering the word with a hiss. "I seek the destruction of the Emperor."

Organa stiffened when Maul walked behind him. The Zabrak slowed his gait, savoring the viceroy's fear.

"You know the adage, don't you Viceroy?"

"You may be the enemy of my enemy, but a friend, that makes you not."

"Oh no?"

"Explain this to me, Obi-Wan. Why is he here?"

Obi-Wan shot Maul a warning glare. "My associate can be trusted insofar as his disdain for the Emperor matches or perhaps eclipses ours," he answered.

Maul was quick to amend. "I don't have _disdain_ for him. I despise him!"

"There," Obi-Wan said. "He won't betray our secrets to the Empire, if that's what you fear."

Organa shook his head. "This is not satisfactory. I will not reveal any secrets in this man's company."

Maul opened his mouth to object, but Obi-Wan raised a hand to stop him. "This is only fair," he said.

"Perhaps if you stay here, General Kenobi and I can discuss confidential matters elsewhere."

Maul hesitated. Their eyes met and Obi-Wan gave him a nod. "Fine," Maul spat bitterly. "If you insist, Viceroy."

"I do," Organa said, voice laden with suspicion. He gave the Zabrak one last dirty look before spinning around to depart.

"Stay here," Obi-Wan said sternly to Maul before he could complain. "I will share with you what he tells me." He seemed to be assuaged by this assurance, and Obi-Wan hurried out of the vestibule after Organa.

He found the viceroy on a patio overlooking a truly breathtaking Alderaanian landscape. Mountains dominated the horizon in all directions, while lesser buildings dotted the premises around the Royal Palace. Organa kneaded his forehead as he leaned over the railing, his face taut with strain.

"I must say, I had hoped our reunion would have been under more fortuitous circumstances," he said.

Obi-Wan allowed a small smile. He approached the viceroy but stopped a few feet away. Hands clasped in front of him, he observed for a moment before speaking.

"I need to find the boy before Vader does."

Organa pushed himself away from the railing. "What happens if you fail?"

Obi-Wan offered no response. They both knew the answer, anyway.

"I will contact Leia and ask her to go to Mothma. I'd rather she not be on Coruscant right now, anyway."

"She's on Coruscant? Why?"

Organa sighed. "I didn't want her to go, but she insisted. Politics are her calling."

"A senator?" Obi-Wan asked in surprise. "At sixteen?"

"What can I say? She's driven."

A moment of somber contemplation. "Like her mother."

"Like her mother."

After several moments of heavy silence, Organa arched his back and rubbed his eyes. "I fear this is a losing fight, my friend."

Unable to respond, Obi-Wan merely looked away toward the mountains.

"This man. Can you handle him?"

"I can," Obi-Wan insisted. Organa looked skeptical. "He can be truculent, but his intentions are transparent. His priority is defeating the Emperor."

It was a half-truth. Obi-Wan was no fool. He knew that Maul wanted him dead as well, and had dedicated the past sixteen years to tracking him down. A slight change in circumstance could turn Maul into a very dangerous foe once more. Obi-Wan couldn't allow that to happen. What he needed was for Maul to perceive Sidious as the ultimate enemy for the time being. As allies, they could be useful to each other.

All that would change once they found Anakin's son. Maul would seek to dispose of Obi-Wan and use the boy for his own designs. He would have to be ready when that happened. Obi-Wan would do what he must, including killing Maul – for a second time, that is.

"What is next? Do you intend to train the boy?"

Organa's inquiry stirred Obi-Wan from his rumination. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice heavy. "I never planned for this."

"Will my daughter be in danger?"

Obi-Wan refocused his eyes to give the viceroy a look. "As long as Vader and the Emperor lives, she will be in danger," he told him. "You know this."

"But if you train the boy, won't she be in even greater danger?"

"Unlikely."

"But –"

"The matters of the Force are my realm, Viceroy," Obi-Wan interrupted.

"Have you consulted Master Yoda on this matter?"

"I have not," he admitted.

"Will you?"

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and considered. "I must focus on finding the boy," he decided.

"Very well," Organa said, yet Obi-Wan could tell that he was far from mollified.

"The girl will not be the Emperor's target," Obi-Wan averred.

"How can you know?"

He shrugged. "Intuition."

Organa frowned. "I can't place my faith in intuition."

"And nor should you."

The truth of the matter was that Obi-Wan had no idea. He had observed young Luke Skywalker for sixteen years, and he had convinced himself that he was the Chosen One. In contrast, he knew next to nothing about Anakin's daughter. She very well could be just as capable as her brother, but it was simpler for him to focus on the boy.

But perhaps he was wrong to do so. Perhaps the only way to defeat the Sith was for both of Anakin's children to receive training. Would that not make the most sense? Their combined powers may be needed to win against otherwise insurmountable odds.

"Trust in the Force," Obi-Wan said. "It will guide us through this dark time."

The viceroy could only bow his head at this platitude.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke was seated cross-legged on the floor as he listened to Kanan's lecture with eager ears. He was in the Jedi's austere room aboard the _Ghost._ Directly overheard, a vent blasted cold air on his head, and Luke shivered against the thin mesh fabric of the shirt Ezra had provided for him.

"What you must understand is that the Force is not a power you have. It is independent of us. You can access it, you can bend it to your will, but you can never have control over it. It is your ally, not your tool."

He bobbed his head despite not exactly understanding the significance of this distinction. Kanan was a knowledgeable man, Luke couldn't deny that, but his lectures tended to be a bit desultory and hard to follow. Then again, it had only been three days. Perhaps things would start making more sense to him with time.

"Allow me to demonstrate."

The Jedi reached to his face and removed the mask covering his eyes. Luke watched in surprise. He had never seen Kanan without his mask before. He blinked a few times, and Luke saw a milky film covering his retinas along with a dark gash mark on the bridge of his nose.

"When I first began training Ezra, he was eager to learn how to lift objects with the Force," Kanan said as he set the mask down on the ground in between them. "I suspect you will be similarly motivated."

Luke nodded enthusiastically. Ezra had shown him it was possible, and Luke had at once been in awe. He was too reserved to pester Kanan about teaching him how to do it, however, so he hadn't brought the subject up to him.

"What you must understand" – this seemed to be a common saying for Kanan – "is that there are two elements at play when you lift an object like so."

The Jedi extended his hand and the face mask floated into the air. Luke's eyes turned wide, a sense of wonderment blossoming within him as he watched. The mask rotated slowly as it hovered at eye level.

"There is the power within yourself and then there is the power of the Force. You must extend yourself into the Force if you are to bend it to your will."

Luke had no idea what this meant, but he was too enraptured to bother asking for clarification. Besides, Kanan's supposed clarifications tended to make him more confused than before.

Kanan set the mask down when they heard a knock on the door. He frowned before placing the mask back over his eyes. "Yes?" he said without turning when the door opened.

It was Ezra. The boy gave Kanan an apologetic look. "Sorry for interrupting, but something's come up."

Kanan sighed. "Could you elaborate?"

"It's Fulcrum."

That got Kanan's attention. "What about him?"

Ezra face looked especially pale. "It's bad. We think he's been captured."

"Captured?"

"You have to come quick."

Kanan got to his feet. "Luke, stay here," he instructed before taking off after Ezra.

Perplexed, Luke got to his feet and walked out of the room to watch Kanan and Ezra disappear down the hallway. What was that all about?

Unsure of what to do with himself, Luke made his way toward the main hold. He sat down on the bench with a huff and planted his forearms on the checkered table. He leaned forward and rested his chin on its cool surface.

After five minutes, Luke grew bored with waiting. He was about to flick on the holonet when he heard pounding footsteps in the hallway. Jumping to his feet, he hurried out of the main hold.

"Kanan?"

It wasn't the Jedi, however, but Captain Rex.

"Hey, kid."

"What's going on?"

Emerging from behind the captain was Zeb. The Lasat spared no time for pleasantries as he pushed past them both and ran toward the cockpit.

"We're in a real bind here," Rex said grimly. "The Empire found us."

"What!?"

Rex reached out and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry," he reassured him. "We'll survive. We always do." His message was one of confidence, but his tone was far less optimistic.

"Luke!"

It was Ezra. He was calling for him from outside the ship.

"Go on," Rex nodded.

Luke wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but he suddenly leapt forward and wrapped his arms around the startled captain. He had taken him under his wing over the past few days and shared with him countless stories of his father. Rex was the closest Luke was ever going to get to Anakin Skywalker.

"It's alright," he heard Rex say gruffly. Too polite to push him away, the old captain merely accepted Luke's vice-like embrace.

"Please don't die," Luke said when he finally released him, dabbing at his eyes with his sleeve.

Rex offered a lopsided grin. "Wasn't planning on it."

Luke managed a feeble chuckle. He was going to say something more in line with his appreciation for Rex when Ezra called for him again.

"Luke! Come on!"

"Go on, kid," Rex nudged.

"Okay," Luke said begrudgingly.

They spared one last look for each other before both took off in opposite directions – Rex toward the gunnery and Luke toward the ramp. He alighted from the _Ghost_ to find Kanan, Ezra, and Hera waiting for him. The latter two looked especially distressed, whereas the former was tranquil as ever.

"You're coming with me," the Jedi Knight said to him.

"What? Where?"

Kanan didn't answer and instead turned toward Hera. "Go," he instructed. "I will handle this."

Hera pursed her lips. "Be careful."

To this, Kanan smiled winsomely. "When am I not?"

The Twi'lek didn't seem to appreciate his attempt at levity. She chewed her tongue and gave him one last anxious look before turning to hurry back toward the base, lekku aflutter behind her.

"Let's go," Kanan told him.

"What about Ezra?"

"He's going to Yavin for help. I need you with me to talk with Bendu."

"But why?"

Kanan shook his head and began to march away. Luke shared a look with Ezra before hurrying after the Jedi.

"Kanan! What's happening? Rex said the Empire found us!"

"They did."

"Then why aren't we leaving?"

"We can't. The Empire has a blockade over the planet. We're going to have to fight our way out."

"But –"

Kanan spun around and pointed a finger at him. "Stay with me at all times, do you understand? I'll protect you."

"From the Empire?"

"Or worse," Kanan said darkly.

He turned away again and began jogging. Luke ran after him in a near full sprint in order to keep up. They reached the far end of the port and Kanan straddled a speeder bike.

"Hop on," he ordered.

Luke jumped on and Kanan told him to hold onto him. Hesitating, Luke regretted his diffidence when the speeder took off and his inertia nearly flung him off the back. He grabbed onto Kanan's midsection just in time and held on for dear life.

The Jedi drove with reckless abandon and Luke closed his eyes shut as wind and dirt pelted his face. They swerved and hurtled past boulders, knolls, and cliffs on their way to Bendu's abode in the wilderness. When they finally decelerated to a stop, Luke staggered off the speeder and held his stomach.

"You okay?" he heard Kanan ask.

"Queasy," he admitted, a bit green to the face.

"Come on," Kanan said without sympathy. "We've got to hurry."

Centering himself, Luke staggered after Kanan toward the ravine. They slid down the gravel slope, hands held out at their sides for balance. The mammoth figure of Bendu loomed ahead of them. His gnarled antlers jutted out from his hunched back which creaked and groaned when he stood up.

"Bendu!"

The sage turned around with surprising speed. His expression was stormy like the tempestuous sky above.

"You have brought war to my quiet world, Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight!"

The both of them stopped, his booming voice rippling through them like thunder. Bendu glared down at them with his cloudy white eyes narrowed.

"And I will have no part of it!" he rumbled.

Δ Δ Δ

Leia Organa was in a foul mood, as evidenced by the scrunched nose and discontented scowl. Her father had called her away from Imperial Center without so much as an explanation.

" _I'm sorry I can't say more,_ " he had said over hologram. " _You must go to Mothma and find the location of Bridger._ "

" _But Father –"_

He had cut her off. His tone was urgent, so Leia had agreed to do as he asked. But that didn't mean she wasn't upset by her father's treatment of her. She was a senator now! He couldn't just be ordering her about to and fro, especially not without proper explanation. She was a part of this Rebellion, was she not? And yet so much remained classified. In fact, it seemed as if she was being trusted with less information now that she was a member of the Imperial Senate.

Captain Antilles had arrived on the capital to transport her to Yavin 4. Upon touching down at the bustling Rebel base, she marched purposefully across the hangar and through the labyrinthine halls toward the command center. Her trusty droid R2-D2 followed after her, whistling the occasional tune of encouragement. Or perhaps he was merely asking her to slow down. She couldn't tell for sure.

"Wait! You can't go in there!"

Leia ignored the sentry and stormed into the war room unannounced. Laying eyes on the venerable senator and head of the Alliance, Mon Mothma, Leia made a beeline for the white-robed woman. She was standing beside a holotable with her hands firmly grasping the curved edge.

"Senator Mothma," she said, earning her attention.

Leia registered a flash of surprise on the senator's face. "Princess, I didn't expect –"

"I only just arrived," Leia interrupted. She regretted being curt with her, but Leia's temper would not permit her to be courteous nor cordial. The sooner she could return to Imperial Center to resume her work, the better.

"I… well, I'm a bit busy at the moment –"

"This will not take long, I assure you."

Mothma looked a bit harried, but she acquiesced with a bob of her head. "Very well then."

"My father sent me to collect some intel," Leia said, unable to keep her lip from curling. "He needs to know the whereabouts of a certain Ezra Bridger. Do you know of him?"

Mothma gave Leia a strange look. "Ezra Bridger?" she repeated.

Leia nodded perhaps too forcefully. "I met him once. He's a young Jedi. Very eager, a bit scrawny. Any idea where I could find him?"

Mothma stared at Leia for a while longer before looking away toward the holotable. Perplexed, Leia followed her gaze.

"Commander Bridger, it seems someone is looking for you."

Leia flushed red with embarrassment when she realized why Mothma had been so flummoxed by her inquiry. Projected from the table was the blue-tinged countenance of the very boy she had been describing.

" _Who are you calling scrawny?_ " he asked in indignation.

It seemed Ezra Bridger had done quite a bit of growing up since their first encounter on Lothal. The boy's face had matured, his cheeks a little less round and his chin more prominently defined. Moreover, the shaggy locks she recalled had been trimmed to a close-cropped buzz, giving him a distinct military mien.

"What does your father want with Commander Bridger?" Mothma asked.

Leia overcame her humiliation to answer. "I don't know, he wouldn't tell me." Bitterness seeped into her voice, not to be missed by the perspicacious Mothma who arched a brow.

" _Can he send help?_ "

"What kind of help?" Leia asked.

" _We're under siege! We won't be able to hold out long without reinforcements._ "

Mothma spoke, her tone cool and detached. "As I informed Commander Bridger, the Alliance is unable to send forces to Atollon without endangering our position."

" _But we'll die if you don't!_ _There must be someone you can send, or something you can do!_ " The boy was frantic – on the verge of tears, in fact.

Perhaps swayed by this heartfelt entreaty, Mothma adopted a more solicitous expression. "I wish I could help you, Commander Bridger, but I can't." She sighed and glanced up at Leia. "Perhaps your father was right. It was too soon for open warfare against the Empire." A somber moment followed these words, and the senator bowed her head, the burden of leadership taking its toll. "I promise you, we will do our best to negotiate fair treatment for the prisoners."

Even to Leia, the assurance rang hollow. Ezra's eyes narrowed as a flicker ran through his wavering projection. " _What if there are no prisoners? I'm not ready to give up yet!_ "

"You have courage, Ezra. May the Force be with you."

Before Ezra could respond, Mothma dismissed the projection with a flick of her wrist. Agitated, she paced away a few lengths with her back turned to Leia.

"There's really nothing you can do to help?"

Mothma snapped back, a fiery element burning in her steel-blue eyes. "I have made my decision, and that is final. My authority is not to be questioned, especially not from the likes of you!"

Leia's eyebrows shot up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The senator's anger waned as soon as it arrived. "Forgive me," she said, feeble in both tone and spirit. "I feel as if I have the weight of the galaxy on my shoulders."

Leia knew she ought to be sympathetic, but the not-so-subtle slight was at the forefront of her mind. So Mothma didn't believe in her either? Nobody considered her as her own person, but as Bail Organa's daughter. They saw her as a beneficiary of nepotism, that she hadn't earned her place in the Senate. She was just a girl, they'd say. A child in grown-up clothes!

She'd show them. The Princess of Alderaan was not to be trifled with.

Δ Δ Δ

Try as he might, Kanan was unable to convince Bendu to assist the Rebels in their fight against the Empire. The more the Jedi pushed, the more angry the sage became.

"Kanan!" Luke pleaded, nettling the man as he prodded his shoulder with two fingers. "We have to go!"

Amidst the brewing storm, Luke saw Imperial TIE fighters descending toward the surface in the direction of the base. Luke had seen detailed models of TIEs before, having always wished to fly one. What those models didn't tell him about was the sound. A high-pitched whine accompanied the fighters' plunge, which set Luke's teeth on edge.

"What about the boy? They'll kill him if they get their hands on him!"

Bendu blew an angry breath out of his nostrils. "It is no matter to me," he dismissed.

A distant rumble erupted in the sky, and Luke looked up to see fiery debris raining down to the surface.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Kanan campaigned. "My friends are dying!"

"Such is the fate of all living beings," said an unfettered Bendu, his massive head craned toward the sky.

"Not like this! Crushed by overwhelming evil! Help us survive, Bendu. Help us fight!"

Bendu turned back to them. "I will not fight your petty battles."

"You'd rather hide, like a coward."

At once, Luke could tell Kanan had crossed a line. Incensed by this accusation, Bendu smashed his fists into the ground and stood up on his legs. "I will not be called a coward by the likes of you, Kanan Jarrus!" Luke held a hand to his eyes when dust began to swirl about Bendu, a torrent of energy building around him like a hurricane. "Perhaps it is the will of the Force that the Jedi and all your kind perish!"

Eyes glowing a fierce gold, Bendu raised his root-like arms and released a bone-shaking bellow. The maelstrom around him began to build and bright blue electricity crackled amidst the chaos.

"And I share the will of the Force!" Bendu proclaimed, his figure entirely shrouded save for the burning gold hue. Wind buffeting his face, Luke turned away from Bendu and quivered with fright. Suddenly, the storm abated, and with it, the roar of the gale and the crackle of lightning. There was a strange, yet no doubt ephemeral calm.

Luke grabbed Kanan's sleeve and gave it a tug. "Come on!"

Kanan reluctantly allowed Luke to drag him away. Head bowed with dejection, the Jedi sighed loudly.

"Luke, I'm sorry."

"Let's just go, okay?"

"I never should have let you stay. I'm not a real Jedi."

"What are you talking about?"

Kanan didn't elaborate. Instead, he shook his arm free and began to trudge up the hill toward their speeder bike. They had only just made it out of the basin when the whole ground shook.

"What was that?"

A flash of green irradiated the darkened sky. Looking up, Luke gasped when he saw a fusillade of blaster bolts erupting from the clouds toward the Rebel base. The firepower was overwhelming and awe-inspiring.

"Kanan!"

"Star Destroyers," the Jedi growled. "They're laying siege to the base. Come on, we're running out of time."

Luke hopped on the speeder bike and held onto Kanan as they accelerated away. The roar of blaster fire and accompanying explosions suffocated the air. Hair whipping in the breeze, Luke shut his eyes tight and bit down hard on his tongue. How he had gotten himself in this horrible nightmare, Luke hadn't the faintest idea.

"Ah!"

An explosion blasted out Luke's eardrums, and a cloud of dirt struck him in the face. He felt himself get lifted off the bike and he soared several meters into the air before colliding into a rock. He fell like a rag doll and only vaguely registered the sound of Kanan screaming his name when he lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Your continued support, whether they be through reviews or other means, is much appreciated. Chapter 5 will introduce a man who appreciates art more than you do: Grand Admiral Thrawn!


	5. Coalescence

Obi-Wan was meditating on the patio, assiduous in his technique and consequently clear of mind. It was all he had to do over these past few days, save for the occasional stroll through the palace grounds or verbal joust with Maul. Stress and apprehension creeped at the peripheries of his mind, gnawing at his conscience with parasitic intensity. Meditation kept these demons at bay, but it was no more than a palliative regimen. Only when Anakin's son was safe could Obi-Wan feel even a modicum of security and relief.

The fading afternoon light struck his closed lids, his face imbued with a pleasant warmth as he meditated. Features relaxed, he rested his palms on his knees and breathed with deliberate calm. The gentle thrum of the Force kept him grounded as he whisked his emotions away and replaced them with resounding inner tranquility.

In…

And out.

Feel the living Force.

Within…

And out.

This was how his master had taught him, and this was how he had taught his Padawan. Anakin had never been the most receptive learner, however. Perhaps it would have done him some good to be more attentive. Or perhaps Obi-Wan ought to have been more persistent.

"What if I fail, Master?"

That was the question he had asked himself for sixteen years. After all, he had failed once before. Who was to say he would be any stronger this time around, any wiser? He was not the mentor his master had been. The knack for teaching wasn't innate within him like it had been for Qui-Gon Jinn.

"The boy… I can't let him down."

_Promise me you will train the boy. He is the Chosen One._

A flicker of frustration, quickly quelled but still lingering. Obi-Wan's fingers grasped at the fabric of his robes as he recomposed himself.

"What if you're wrong? What if he's not the Chosen One either?"

_He is the Chosen One._

Such was the fallibility of conversing with a memory. Qui-Gon had been certain that Anakin would be the Chosen One. He had been wrong – catastrophically so. Could Obi-Wan be making a similar mistake by bestowing that burdensome title on Anakin's son?

"Master Kenobi?"

Stirred from his reverie, Obi-Wan opened his eyes. He didn't turn toward the voice, his gaze set upon the navy blue sky.

"The queen and viceroy request your presence."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I will be there as soon as I am able."

"They told me to tell you it's urgent, sir."

That got his attention. Could it be that they had found Bridger? He got to his feet and straightened out his rumpled robes. "Take me to them."

The silver protocol droid led him back indoors. Despite having spent three days here, Obi-Wan had yet to get his bearings in the extensive palace. They wended through luxuriant room after luxuriant room, and Obi-Wan could only hope that his guide knew where it was taking him.

Finally they arrived in a room he did recognize. It was an oval-shaped dining room with a proud mahogany table. Seated at the head was Queen Breha in elegant regal attire. An unobtrusive silver tiara and impeccably coiffed black hair framed her features. Standing at attention on her left flank was her husband, the viceroy dressed in similarly formal clothes with sashes and shiny gold epaulettes. They must have just arrived from a royal function.

"Took you long enough," grumbled a voice from the corner of the room.

Dwelling in the shadows was Maul. In contrast to his hosts, the Sith's choice of dress was conspicuously unadorned. A black cape and cowl gave him the impression of a tenebrous specter, just waiting to bewitch them with a wicked spell.

"Master Kenobi, please take a seat," requested the queen with a flourish of her hand, the opulent jewels on her ringed fingers sparkling in the lambent light.

Despite having been told not to do so, Obi-Wan bowed before accepting her instruction. He strode forth and pulled out a chair for himself. He spared a glance for Maul who remained motionless against the back wall before taking a seat. Back rigid and hands clasped tightly in his lap, he looked between the Organas and waited for them to explain why they had summoned him.

"Leia made contact with us," the viceroy finally said.

"And?" Obi-Wan asked.

The dire expressions on the Organas' faces did not bode well. "It seems Phoenix Squadron's base has been found by the Empire," the viceroy said. "One of my Fulcrum agents was uncovered and his transmission was traced back to a planet called Atollon."

Obi-Wan forced himself to take a breath. "The boy?"

"Unknown. One would assume he's still on the planet."

Maul stepped forward and grasped the back of a chair. "This is unacceptable, Viceroy. Skywalker cannot fall into Imperial hands."

"The situation is out of my control. Senator Mothma has decided not to send reinforcements."

"Craven," Maul hissed.

"There must be something we can do," Obi-Wan said, the desperation ringing loudly in his voice. "Viceroy, please."

Organa shared a look with his wife. "I can bring you to Mothma," he said.

"What good would that do?" Maul asked.

"It's all I can do," Organa said frankly.

Maul spun around and growled menacingly. The Organas watched with some trepidation, but Obi-Wan didn't spare Maul's reaction a moment's consideration. He bowed his head and spread his hands on the table.

Once again, he asked himself: How could it have come to this?

Δ Δ Δ

Luke's head was pounding. A bright light struck his closed lids and he let out a groan. The pulsating pain in his forehead intensified as he tried to sit up. Voices were swimming all around him, the words disjointed and the meanings unclear.

_Rebels…_

… _Escaped._

_Creature…_

… _Disappeared._

_Curious…_

… _Most curious._

Suddenly, a voice rang out above the rest. It sounded close by.

"Sir! Sir, there's someone here!"

Luke heard crunching footsteps.

"Where?"

"In the rubble, sir."

Opening his eyes a fraction, his dilated pupils screamed in protest. He quickly shut them tight as a wave of nausea roiled through him.

"Grand Admiral! Sir, there's something you should see."

"Yes, Colonel?"

"It seems like a Rebel was left behind."

He should have realized that he was in danger, but his mind felt muzzy. An odd sort of comfort suffused his pinned limbs. Eyes opening languorously, he saw a man looming above him. He had a thin, angular face with blue skin and striking red eyes which were narrowed keenly.

"Curious," he said. "Bring him to my ship."

Δ Δ Δ

Leia was chewing on her fingernails. It was a bad habit, but she couldn't seem to shake it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mothma giving her a judgmental look. Embarrassed, Leia quickly pulled her finger away and pretended as if she were merely inspecting the cuticle.

The door to the command room opened, and in strode a beleaguered ensemble of Rebels. She recognized a fair few of them from her brief escapade on Lothal a year ago. Her eyes gravitated toward Ezra Bridger, the young man sullen and grey.

"Captain Syndulla."

The green Twi'lek at the head of the party stopped to salute. "Senator Mothma."

Leia was standing beside General Dodonna along the perimeter of the circular holotable. She shared a glance with the snowy-haired man when they both noted the dreadful state of the combatants on the opposite side of the table. Phoenix Squadron was battered and bruised from their fight with the Empire. It was a miracle they had survived at all.

"Our fleet was decimated," a grim Captain Syndulla informed them. "Thrawn caught us by complete surprise."

"An agent of ours was discovered, if I understand correctly," Mothma said.

Syndulla gestured to a man in a tattered Imperial uniform. "Agent Kallus," she said. A dark ring circled the man's left eye and his blonde hair hung loosely in front of his face.

"You managed to extricate him?" Mothma asked in surprise.

"We help those who ask for it," Ezra said bitingly.

Leia inhaled sharply at this trenchant comment. Sparing a glance for Mothma, she saw that the senator looked supremely uncomfortable.

"Perhaps your troops should report to the medbay," she suggested, speaking to Syndulla. "Princess Leia, would you be so kind as to escort them?"

Leia prickled at this invitation. Mothma clearly didn't consider her senior enough to be in the room when she and Captain Syndulla discussed specifics. Suppressing her indignation, Leia nodded curtly.

"Yes, Senator."

Pushing herself away from the holotable, Leia gestured for Phoenix Squadron to follow her with a snap of her wrist.

"Come on," she said.

The Rebels shuffled after her into the hallway. She spared them one glance over her shoulder to make sure they were following her before taking off at a brisk pace. Only when she overheard a snippet of their conversation did she slow down.

"We have to get him back, Kanan."

"I agree, but how are we going to do that?"

"We've broken into Imperial prisons before."

"Yes, but –"

Leia spun around and cut them off. "What are you talking about?"

Ezra eyed her curiously before glancing up at his master, Kanan Jarrus. She followed his gaze and was surprised to notice for the first time that the Jedi Knight was wearing a metal mask over his eyes. What had happened to him?

"Shouldn't you be leading us to the medbay, Princess?"

Leia's face heated at this dismissal. "It's at the end of the hall on the left," she said with her hands on her hips. "I'm sure your companions can find it on their own."

Kanan's brow twitched and he met her seething glare despite not being able to see. A tense moment passed before he barked out an order. "Zeb, Sabine. Take everyone to the medbay. See to it that Kallus is taken care of."

A slender woman in garishly painted Mandalorian armor expressed surprise at this instruction. "What about you?" she asked.

"We'll catch up," he said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Go on, Sabine," Ezra added.

The Mandalorian and the burly Lasat traded glances before collectively shrugging. "Come on," Zeb said gruffly. "You too, Sandy."

"Please stop calling me that," the man in the Imperial uniform said.

Zeb grabbed him by the arm and the dozen or so Rebels passed them by. "That's your name though, isn't it, Sandy?"

"No. It's Alexsandr."

"Close enough."

They turned a corner, and the light-hearted banter disappeared with them. Spinning back to the two Jedi, Leia crossed her arms.

"I want to know what's going on."

Ezra gave her an innocent look. "What do you mean?"

"My father had me drop everything to come here and find out from Mothma how to find you. I want to know why."

"How should we know what your father wants with us?" Kanan asked.

"I think you know," Leia said, lowering her voice. "It has to do with this person you're talking about, doesn't it? Who is he? Another Fulcrum agent? A Rebel spy?" Judging by Ezra and Kanan's blank expressions, that clearly wasn't it. Beginning to grow exasperated, Leia clasped her hands together. "Just tell me!" she pleaded.

"Why do you care so much?" Ezra asked. "This doesn't affect you."

"Of course it affects me!"

"It does?"

Leia faltered. She couldn't explain why, but something told her that this was a subject of concern for her. Perhaps it was because of how shifty her father had been when tasking her with the assignment of finding Bridger. He clearly hadn't wanted her to know something, so she felt obligated to find out what that was.

"If you'll excuse us," Kanan said when she was unable to come up with an answer. The two Jedi pushed past her and made their way after the rest of their companions. Too aggrieved to speak, Leia merely watched with her mouth hanging ajar.

Why wouldn't anyone treat her with respect? She was a princess and a senator, damnit!

She'd show them. She'd show them all.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke was shivering. Arms wrapped around his knees, he rocked back and forth on a black bench. A soft squeak echoed in the sterile room. Head craned to the ceiling, he noticed a small ventilation shaft. Could he escape through there?

The door opened abruptly. Bright white light flooded the cell, and Luke held a hand up to his eyes as he swung his legs off the bench. He saw the outline of a slender man, and a smooth voice droned from the doorway.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. You may leave us."

"But sir, ISB wanted to –"

"I will interrogate the boy myself."

"Very well, sir."

Luke swallowed hard when the man took a step into the room and his features became visible to him. He recognized him from Atollon as the man with the blue skin. His glowing red eyes pierced into Luke's own and Luke began tapping his foot nervously against the ground.

"I am Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Imperial Fleet."

There was a silence as these words lingered loudly in the frigid cell. Thrawn stared at Luke unblinkingly, his posture stiff and his expression inscrutable.

"You are but a boy. What is someone so young doing with the Rebels?"

"I'm not talking to you," Luke said with brazen defiance.

Thrawn cocked his head to the side, a subtle smile itching at the corner of his blue lips. He flicked his wrist, and Luke heard a mechanical whirring sound. A spherical droid hovered into the cell, a ring of light pulsating around its equator and a gleaming needle protruding from its side.

"Do you know what this is?"

Luke shook his head, eyes wide as the droid approached.

"This is what is called an IT-O Interrogator. It is commonly used by the Imperial Security Bureau to obtain information from… reluctant prisoners."

Luke felt dizzy. There was an unpleasant ringing in his ears as he pressed his back against the wall behind him.

"I find such techniques to be unsavory," the grand admiral drawled. He held his hand at the wrist in front of him as he considered Luke intently. "I vastly prefer cooperation to coercion. Wouldn't you agree?"

No response came to this inquiry. Luke's mouth felt too dry to formulate words. The interrogation droid continued to inch closer.

"Let us start with an easy question. Your name?"

He didn't reply. Something told him it was a bad idea to tell the truth.

Thrawn sighed. "I am sure the ISB agent who is scheduled to arrive within the hour will be far less lenient than I." He took a step forward, and Luke jerked with fear. His skin was clammy with sweat and his pulse pounded mercilessly in his ears. Thrawn's glowing eyes flashed and his brow furrowed. "It is in both of our interests that you answer. Now tell me. What is your name?"

Luke opened his mouth, yet his teeth continued to chatter. "L-Luke."

A slight smile, a flicker of victory. "Luke," he echoed. "Luke what?"

"Luke… Lars."

Thrawn leaned in closer. Their eyes locked and Luke felt as if he were frozen. "In every lie, there is always a seed of truth." The grand admiral stood back up and paced away a few lengths. Luke glanced to his right where the interrogation droid loomed overhead, its baleful needle glinting in the artificial light of the hallway. "I will ask you one more time. Your name."

Luke opened his mouth but quickly clamped down on his tongue. He wasn't afraid! This man held no power of him.

"Go to hell," he spat.

Thrawn turned back to him in surprise. He blinked once before narrowing his eyes.

"So be it."

Δ Δ Δ

Horrific pain wracked Luke's limbs and coursed through his veins. A searing heat surged through him, snaking into his brain and scorching his very mind. Bright flashes of red and orange flared in front of his eyes. Amidst the explosion of color, Luke made out a shadowy figure. The edges of his cape were jagged and sketchy, but his eyes burned a fierce crimson which seared into his vision. It was the only discernible image he could focus on. He called to it, pleaded to it, cried to it.

_Help me! Help me, please!_

The specter approached until it filled his field of view. The inferno raging around him dissipated into a bone-chilling black which suffused his heart, icy and piercing. He screamed and shivered, terror replacing his agony.

_Tell me your name._

Luke shrieked back at him.

_You already know!_

The eyes grew larger and brighter. Luke's trembling body grew quite still.

_Tell me._

Vaguely, Luke registered the pain prickling around him, but he no longer felt it. An ephemeral calm passed over him.

_You know. You've always known._

Luke didn't know where the words came from or what they meant. But he hurled them back at his tormentor anyway.

_Your name._

The moment of clarity crashed as a renewed wave of agony wracked his tired body. He felt faint, but the relief of sleep would not come. The drugs injected into his body would not permit it. So on and on he suffered, screaming at the precipice of delirium.

_Tell me your name._

He didn't answer; He wouldn't answer! Where the strength came from, Luke had no idea. But in tandem with the pain, he felt a resurgent and resounding defiance. An unidentifiable force was empowering him, propping him up against the tempestuous forces of evil.

"Never," he said aloud.

He heard garbled voices, the sound muffled and distant.

"Another dose."

"But sir –"

"Do it!"

"No, Officer. That is enough."

"Grand Admiral –"

"That is enough."

The torment began to abate, and with it, Luke's sense of self dissolved. He plunged downward into a void of darkness. A numb relief took hold over his limbs and he found himself slipping away.

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan was grimacing. With one hand grasping at a crevice in the stone wall, he rubbed his forehead wearily with the other one. The Force was churning and choppy, causing his head to ache. The boy… he feared the worst.

"General Kenobi. Forgive me for keeping you waiting."

He looked up to see the viceroy walking side by side with a tall woman in a flowing white dress. Sparing a glance with Maul who was leaning casually against the opposite wall, Obi-Wan stood up straight and took a step to properly greet his host.

"Senator Mothma, I presume?" he said before bowing.

"General Kenobi. I heard a great deal about you during the Clone Wars."

"He was quite the hero," Maul jested.

Mothma turned toward the flippant Sith. Her eyes narrowed and her posture turned rigid. "And you are?"

"Did the viceroy not tell you?"

"He did. I would like to hear it from you."

The corner of Maul's lips twitched in amusement. He replicated Obi-Wan's bow with a little flourish of his hand which could be interpreted as mocking. "You may call me Maul," he said.

"Are you the same Maul who terrorized Mandalore for years?"

Maul quirked an eyebrow. "Terrorized?"

A tense moment passed and Mothma shifted her attention back to Obi-Wan. "You trust this man?"

"No," Obi-Wan answered honestly.

"Then –"

"Maul and I share a common goal. It would be in all of our best interest if you helped us attain it."

"The boy."

"The viceroy informed you of our situation?"

"Briefly. Vaguely."

Organa took the opportunity to interject. "What remains of Phoenix Squadron arrived on Yavin 4 yesterday. The boy was not with them."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He knew Anakin's son was not here, but it pained him to hear confirmation. "What of Bridger?"

"He and his master Kanan Jarrus are here."

"We would very much like to speak with them."

To his left, he felt Maul stiffen. Obi-Wan turned to him with a frown.

"Is something the matter?"

"I have a history with Jarrus," he growled. "He will not be happy to see me."

"Is anyone?"

A glimmer of humor flashed in Maul's eyes. He seemed to be entirely immune to insults of this sort.

"I will send for Bridger and Jarrus," Mothma said. "If you'll excuse me."

She stepped out into the hall, the soundproof door sealing shut behind her. The three men all looked at each other as they waited; the viceroy uncomfortable, the Sith impatient, and the Jedi anxious. A rattling sound caused Obi-Wan to glance up toward the ceiling. There was an air vent in the far right corner. A single screw was loose and the metal covering creaked and groaned as it pumped cool air into the humid room.

"Close the door behind you, Commander Bridger."

Obi-Wan spared one last wry look for the ceiling before shifting his attention to the two young Jedi who had entered. They both startled when they saw Maul standing next to him.

"Maul!" Bridger exclaimed.

He and his master both reached to their belts, but Obi-Wan held out a hand to stop them. "I understand you have history with my acquaintance," he said calmly.

"You could say that," the taller one said, his teeth bared as his hand hovered over his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan took a step forward. "Kanan Jarrus. Or should I say, Caleb Dume?"

The young Jedi tensed. He stared at Obi-Wan beneath his face mask. "How do you know my name?"

"I remember the names of all the Jedi," Obi-Wan said solemnly.

A beat passed and Jarrus let out a breath. He bowed deeply, hands clasped behind his back. "It's an honor, Master Kenobi," he said, his voice heavy.

Obi-Wan returned the gesture. "Likewise, my friend."

"How very touching," Maul sneered.

Obi-Wan flinched at the acrimony in his voice. "Your snide comments are unwelcome, Maul," he said with a bitter glance toward the Sith.

"As is your righteousness," Maul fired back.

"Gentlemen, please," Organa enjoined. "The severity of this situation warrants civility, does it not?"

Obi-Wan nodded to the viceroy. "Indeed, it does," he said. "Forgive me."

"What's going on? Why is Maul here?" Bridger asked.

Maul barked a laugh. "Are you not happy to see me, my apprentice?"

Obi-Wan shot Bridger a look, warning him not to respond. "It is our understanding that you coerced a boy by the name of Luke Skywalker to leave Tatooine and accompany you to Atollon?"

"Coerced?" Bridger echoed in indignation. "I didn't coerce anyone!"

Obi-Wan bit down on his tongue. He couldn't allow himself to take out his frustrations on young Bridger. It wasn't his fault that he hadn't known how important it was that Anakin's son not leave Tatooine.

"What happened to the boy?" Maul asked. "Why is he no longer with you?"

Bridger and Jarrus traded guilty looks. "He's gone," the master said on his Padawan's behalf.

"Gone?" Obi-Wan repeated. "Gone where?"

"I don't know," Jarrus answered. "Most likely in the hands of Thrawn."

"Thrawn? Who is Thrawn?"

"A grand admiral of the Imperial Fleet," Mothma said grimly. "He is a constant thorn in our side."

"You can say that again," Bridger grumbled.

Obi-Wan stroked his chin absently as he nodded. While it was of course terrible to hear that Anakin's son had been captured by the Empire, he could take some solace in the fact that Vader had not been the one to find him.

Yet.

"We must rescue this boy before the Emperor learns of his power," Obi-Wan said.

"Easier said than done," Jarrus muttered.

"If I may," Mothma said tentatively. "What is so important about this boy?"

Obi-Wan considered his words carefully. "There is much I cannot say. What I can tell you is that he is very powerfully attuned to the Force. Should he receive training, he could become a great Jedi. Yet if he were to fall into the wrong hands, he could become a very grave threat. Indeed, I see no way this war could be won without Skywalker on our side."

Mothma looked a bit pale. "You mean that?"

"I do," Obi-Wan nodded.

"No one outside of this room can know about this," Organa said. "This boy's anonymity must be our highest priority."

Bridger gulped and Obi-Wan gave him a keen look. "Do you have something to add?" he asked.

"I, well… I may have told some people about him," he mumbled.

"Some people?"

"Pretty much everyone in Phoenix Squadron knows his name."

"His full name?" Obi-Wan asked, wincing.

Bridger nodded sheepishly. "I didn't know… I'm sorry."

Obi-Wan rubbed his forehead. "No matter," he managed. "Nobody knows of his powers, is that correct? No one beside Kanan and yourself?"

Again, Bridger squirmed. "Well, Rex knows."

Obi-Wan blinked once and took a step toward Bridger. "Rex? As in Captain Rex? The clone?"

"You know him?"

"Oh yes. I know him." Obi-Wan smiled faintly to himself. "He joined the Rebellion? How is that possible?"

"He removed his chip," Bridger explained.

Obi-Wan frowned, not sure what this meant. What chip was the boy talking about?

"I assume this isn't a liability?" Maul asked.

"No," Obi-Wan said. "Rex can be trusted." He paused to consider this. There was a time when he would have said the very same about Cody.

"No one else knows, I swear," Bridger said with an emphatic shake of his head.

Obi-Wan snorted. He took a step past the boy and ambled toward the corner of the room. He felt everyone's eyes on him as he did this.

"Unfortunately, you are incorrect," he said. "There is one other."

"What are you talking about, Kenobi?" Maul asked.

Obi-Wan locked eyes with Organa. Raising his hand up over his shoulder, he clenched his fist and pulled the rattling air vent out of its socket with the Force. There was a startled yelp, and a girl came falling out of the ceiling from the air duct. Obi-Wan extended a hand and stopped her fall just before she hit the ground.

"Leia!" Organa exclaimed.

Obi-Wan released the girl from his invisible grasp and she fell flat on her face. Humiliated, she staggered up to her feet and brushed off her sullied white dress.

"Princess, have you been _spying_ on us?" an aghast Mothma asked.

The red-faced girl gave the senator a sour look. "I wasn't spying," she said. "I was… listening."

"How much did you hear?" Organa asked.

"She heard everything," Obi-Wan said, unable to wipe the amused look from his face. She glanced up at him, and Obi-Wan sharpened his eyes curiously as he inspected her for the first time. So this was Anakin's daughter. Young Leia had a round face and voluminous brown hair which was done up in two buns on either side of her head. She looked quite a bit like her mother, but the full cheeks and proclivity to mischief reminisced of a young Anakin.

"How did you know I was there?" she asked him.

"We Jedi have our ways," Obi-Wan said mysteriously.

"Leia, that was incredibly irresponsible of you!" Organa scolded.

"I have every right to be here!" she snapped, spinning to her adoptive father.

"I decide who is privy to confidential information, not you," Mothma said. "And you were certainly not invited to this meeting!"

The girl stomped her foot against the ground petulantly. "Stop treating me like a child! Ezra gets to be here! Why don't I?"

"Leia –" Organa tried to say, but Obi-Wan cut him off.

"You're right, Princess. You do have a right to know."

Surprised, Leia's eyes widened when she turned to him. "Really?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan said with a bob of his head. "But now is not the time."

The Princess exhaled noisily. "Why not?"

Obi-Wan faltered. For her own safety, this girl couldn't know anything about her parentage or about her brother. But at the same time, he needed to keep her assuaged so she didn't try anything stupid like Anakin would have done.

"Why do you feel so strongly about this?" he asked.

Leia looked around the room before answering. When she spoke, she did so with deliberate calm. "As a member of this Alliance, I feel as if I have a right to know."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You know that's not true. Even the most senior members of the Alliance haven't been briefed on this situation." Leia gnashed her teeth and looked away while Obi-Wan took a step forward. "Why do _you_ want to know?"

"I don't know," she huffed. "I just do."

"No," Obi-Wan said. "There's more to it than that."

Leia met his gaze and frowned. "I…"

"Tell me why, Princess."

She blinked twice before looking down at her feet. "I feel things," she said, her voice muted.

"What type of things?"

"I can't explain it. Emotions. Feelings. I think… I think this boy needs my help."

Obi-Wan stared at her intently. Unnerved by the scrutiny, Leia's eyes darted up to meet his for a fraction of a second before looking away. She gulped nervously and began tapping her foot against the ground.

"Fascinating," Obi-Wan said finally. The girl was far more attuned to the Force than he could have ever imagined. She and her brother were bound to each other despite having never met before. Surely this was unprecedented.

"Kenobi?"

It was Maul. The Sith was watching this interaction closely from across the room.

"Perhaps the Princess and I should talk in private," Obi-Wan suggested.

Maul's eyes narrowed with suspicion. He clearly could tell there was something about this girl which Obi-Wan found intriguing. It was imperative he did not find out the truth. If he did, Maul would try to use her just like he planned to use the boy.

"This won't take long," Obi-Wan assured the bemused room. "I suggest you start planning our next course of action with my compatriots." Obi-Wan nodded toward Bridger and Jarrus. "We must be swift if we want to rescue the boy." Maul blinked a few times, but Obi-Wan didn't give him a chance to say anything more. Turning to the young princess, he gestured for her to follow him. "Come along."

Leia gave her father a confused look before following Obi-Wan out of the cramped room. They stepped out into the hallway and walked a long way without speaking. Obi-Wan continued to look down at her with great interest while the princess elected to stare straight ahead. Seeking to alleviate her discomfort, Obi-Wan finally spoke.

"Tell me, young Leia," he said with a soft smile. "What do you know about the Force?"

Δ Δ Δ

_Help me! Help me, please!_

Darth Vader woke with a start, an icy chill washing over him and piercing his core. His chest heaved as the residual tendrils of that horrible cold ebbed away.

He blinked once. Twice. Three times.

He was in his hyperbaric chamber. The bright white light against his dilated pupils and the occasional puff of oxygen-rich air restored a modicum of calm over him as his breathing slowed and his heart rate enervated.

The echo of that pitiful voice played loudly in his ears. Someone was calling for his help? No one needed his _help._ They only ever needed his services. His particular skills. His unique utility.

It must have been a dream, but it was difficult to differentiate between dream and wake for him. They were both nightmares of sort.

A vibration earned his attention. It was his comlink. With the flick of a wrist, Vader activated the claw overhead which caused his helmet to descend. There was a hissing sound and the world around him turned red.

"Yes?"

" _Come to the capital, my friend. Grand Admiral Thrawn has something to report._ "

"Yes, my master."

The feed was severed and Vader deactivated the device. His gauntleted hand clutched the comlink fiercely as he stared ahead.

_Help me!_

_Come back!_

_Help me, please!_

_I love you!_

He mashed his fist into the control panel and the top half of the hyperbaric chamber lifted to the ceiling. Shaking himself of these demons, Vader stood up from his chair and marched away.

His master awaited him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the story, Dad Vader! He will have a larger role in the next chapter and of course in the rest of the story. Thanks for reading and reviewing! If you like a good AU like this one, consider checking out my newest story _Protégé_ featuring Padmé Amidala as a secret Sith!


	6. Intangible

Leia didn't know what to make of this Jedi. Having asked her to accompany him out of the conference room and away from the fiery eyes of Mothma and her father, Master Kenobi led the way down the dank hallways of the Rebel Base. She could feel him staring at her as they plodded along, and the scrutiny made her a bit uneasy. Leia kept her head bowed and her vision narrowed. Suddenly, the Jedi Master spoke.

"Tell me, young Leia. What do you know about the Force?"

She looked up to meet his gaze. He was smiling faintly, his pale lips upturned ever so slightly at the corners.

"The Force?" she echoed. Kenobi gave her a nod and Leia blinked a few times. "I, uh… I've heard about it."

"What have you heard?"

They made a turn and Leia realized they were making their way to the hangar. She kicked at a pebble with her boot, the rock skidding up ahead and taking a bounce out of sight.

"It's something the Jedi use."

Kenobi didn't say anything to this, and Leia felt the need to elaborate.

"They use it to move things with their mind," she said, nodding to herself. "My father told me about the Jedi during the Clone Wars. They were great warriors who used the Force to defeat their enemies." Kenobi chuckled softly and Leia felt her face heat at this derision. "What?" she snapped.

"Your answers are very telling," Kenobi said.

"Telling?"

"I once had a young Padawan who thought as you do. He saw the Force as a tool. A means to an end."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, unless you lose sight of what that end ought to be."

Leia frowned while looking down at her feet. They arrived at the hangar bay and were walking past a row of A-wing fighters. An overpowering scent of fuel filled the air, and Leia resisted the urge to pinch her nostrils.

"Why are you so interested in me?" she asked.

Kenobi didn't answer until they arrived at the mouth of the hangar bay. Stepping outside into the open air, Leia squinted at the bright light against her retinas. The exotic buzz of Yavin 4's wildlife ensconced them, the lush jungle which surrounded their secluded base teeming with life.

"You may not know it, but the Force calls to you."

Leia wasn't sure how to react to this. "What are you talking about?"

"These emotions you feel. Explain them to me."

"I… I can't really explain."

"Try."

She exhaled slowly and contemplated. "It didn't really feel like anything out of the ordinary at first. I thought… I don't know, that I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything."

Obi-Wan made a humming sound and she glanced up at him. He wasn't looking at her, but she knew she had his full attention.

"But recently I've realized that it wasn't me at all. I don't understand it, but somehow I'm feeling someone else's emotions." She paused, forehead scrunched and lips pursed tight. "I think it's this boy. I think we're connected."

"Most impressive."

Once more, she looked up at the Jedi and this time he met her gaze. Kenobi's eyes were keen, boring into her own with unnerving intensity. She gulped, but fought the impulse to look away.

"Why are you so sure that it is this boy? Could it not be someone else?"

Leia shrugged. "I guess, but I don't think it is. Something feels…" She trailed off and shook her head. "I don't know, I must sound ridiculous."

"Not at all, young Leia. It is admitting what we do not know which makes us wise."

They came to a stop in the shadow of an oddly shaped freighter. Leia craned her head to look at it, but her vision was out of focus. Something about Kenobi's words had resonated powerfully with her.

"You know something about this boy, don't you?" she asked.

"Perhaps."

"But you're not going to tell me, are you?"

Kenobi shook his head. "I cannot."

"Then what can you tell me?"

The Jedi glanced away toward the entrance of the freighter. "Come with me," he instructed. Leia hesitated before following after him, hiking up the hem of her dress so it wouldn't drag against the dirty ramp. They reached a curved hallway with grey padding on the walls and shiny black floors. Kenobi brushed down his robes and began to speak.

"We can classify all things into two spheres: the tangible and the intangible. Would you agree?"

Leia considered this statement. "I suppose."

Kenobi beckoned her to follow him down the hallway. "The tangible is easy to describe. We can see it, smell it, hear it. It exists because our senses tell us it does. But how can we know if the intangible is real?"

"If we can't sense it, you mean?"

"Is love real if you can't see it? Can't hear it?"

"But you can feel it."

They reached a spacious cabin which seemed to be the main hold of the freighter. The Jedi turned to her and smiled. "Very true," he said, and Leia found herself beaming at the praise in his voice. "How would you describe the sensation?"

"Of love?"

Kenobi nodded and Leia faltered. How was she supposed to answer that?

"I… I don't know. I don't think I can."

"It is ineffable."

Leia bobbed her head, grateful for the word. "Yeah. Ineffable."

Kenobi paced away a few lengths toward a checkered table in the corner of the hold. He ran a finger around its edge, his forehead creased and his eyes distant.

"The Force makes no such distinction between the two spheres. A trained Jedi can _sense_ the intangible and _feel_ the tangible. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Leia couldn't say that she did, but she didn't want Kenobi to know that. "I guess."

Kenobi gave her a wry look. "I do not expect you to. The Force is an enigma. No matter how much experience or knowledge we claim to have, we will never understand it in its entirety."

A moment passed as Leia absorbed everything the Jedi Master had told her. "You say the Force calls to me?" she asked.

"It does."

"What does that mean?"

"Would you care to learn?"

"What do you mean?"

Kenobi took a step toward her, his eyes unblinking and full of resolve. "I want to train you," he said.

"For what?"

"To become a Jedi."

Δ Δ Δ

The garden was a bastion of vibrancy in a sea of darkness. Verdant plants and vivid flowers from all over the galaxy congregated in a well-tended area to the right of the Emperor's throne. A snake-like vine with glossy leaves and prickly thorns wended about a wooden trellis which encased the rectangular area. Despite its beauty, there was something off-putting about the garden. It was too neat, too contained. The plants inside yearned to burst free, to grow in whichever way they pleased, but they were trapped by the trellis walls and by the razor-sharp shears of the royal gardener. The incarcerated organisms were pumped full of nutrients and other artificial stimulants to make their colors pop, but they wilted in spite of that. Perhaps it was because the only source of natural light, a massive circular window at the far end of the throne room, was obscured by the Emperor's gaudy throne.

"Ah, Thrawn. Welcome, my friend."

His master's raspy drawl summoned Vader back to his senses. The breathing apparatus strapped to his chest hitched – an irritating inconvenience which occurred far too often. It performed another cycle, and Vader's lungs were filled with oxygen. He decompressed his rigid posture a fraction and looked straight ahead at the Chiss who was bowing before the Emperor.

"My Emperor," he said, a hand held over his heart and the opposite arm folded behind his back. Standing back upright, the grand admiral raised his chin and steeled himself. He was impassive as always, but Vader could detect a twinge of unease beneath Thrawn's expressionless face. And why shouldn't he be anxious? The grand admiral had demonstrated an uncharacteristic lack of competence on Atollon by allowing the Rebels to slip out of his grasp. The Emperor was not likely to be forgiving.

"I will confess, I am disappointed in you, Thrawn."

Palpatine drummed his long fingernails against the armrest of his unadorned throne, a staccato of high-pitched clicks and clacks ringing loudly. Vader winced underneath his mask, yet Thrawn was careful not to react.

"I am disappointed in myself, my Emperor."

Palpatine leaned forward. "As you should be," he said, his voice low.

"The failure on Atollon is my own doing, I will not pretend otherwise," Thrawn said. "While by no means do I wish to exculpate myself of this of this stain, I might present a few salient facts if you would be so generous."

There was a tense moment as Palpatine considered Thrawn's smooth elocution. Finally, he spoke. "Your reputation warrants clemency. Go ahead. Explain yourself to us."

Thrawn bowed again. "Thank you, my Emperor. While it is regrettable that our forces failed to defeat Phoenix Squadron fully, we did inflict a serious blow to the Rebel Alliance. Their base on Atollon was destroyed and Phoenix Squadron was taken out of commission for the foreseeable future."

At this time, Vader thought it fitting for him to contribute. "These Rebels are industrious. They may have been weakened by this battle, but they will return. And when they do, they will be stronger and even more motivated than before."

Thrawn gave him a keen-eyed look. "I do not doubt it."

"Any victory short of decisive is not a victory at all, Grand Admiral," Vader rumbled.

"Perhaps," Thrawn conceded. "Or perhaps you are not able to see the full picture, Lord Vader."

Vader bristled with indignation, but his master held up a hand to prevent him from speaking. "Then help us see the full picture," he requested. "Because as I see it, my apprentice is correct."

Thrawn set his jaw. "My fleet bombarded the Rebel base from orbit. I followed standard procedure. Once their shields were at a breaking point, I deployed the ground troops to flush them out. They had no means to escape, the planet was under complete blockade."

"Then how did they manage to evade you?" Vader asked, his voice rife with accusation.

The grand admiral maintained his composure, but Vader could tell he was irritated by the interjection. Vader smirked and ticked a point to his mental scorecard.

"It was an error on my account not to expect the unexpected. When I arrived on the planet to oversee the Rebels' surrender, a certain… creature intervened."

"Creature?" Palpatine echoed.

"I suspect you might be more knowledgeable than I on its nature."

"And why might that be?"

For once, Thrawn seemed lost for words. "This creature… or perhaps apparition would be more fitting, it somehow produced a storm which decimated our walkers and knocked our ships out of the sky. I have never experienced something quite like it, to put it modestly."

Interest piqued, Palpatine laced his fingers together in front of his chin. Vader watched his master's reaction closely.

"This being supported the Rebels' escape?"

"I would not say that. It targeted both forces without bias. Rebels and Imperials alike faced its wrath."

Palpatine nodded. "Most curious," he mused. Pondering this information, the Emperor stared off into space for a moment. "But you are quite right, Grand Admiral. This unforeseen development does not absolve you of any blame. It was your responsibility to crush the Rebels, and you failed."

"You and Lord Vader are quite correct," Thrawn said calmly. "The failure on Atollon was a tactical mishap. There is no denying that. Yet victory ought not be interpreted through such a rigid lens."

"What are you talking about, Thrawn?" Vader asked.

"In the aftermath of the battle, my troops scoured the destroyed Rebel base and they came across something rather unusual at the outskirts."

"And what would that be?" the Emperor asked.

Thrawn's lips twitched. "A boy," he said. Sparing Vader a smug glance, Thrawn elaborated. "He must have been stranded from the rest of the Rebels as he was pinned underneath some rubble. My men extricated him and I had him sent to the _Chimaera_ for interrogation."

Vader felt an odd churning in the pit of his stomach. Something about this made him feel uneasy, but he couldn't identify what. "What is so special about a boy?" he asked.

"I asked myself the very same question. The Rebels have not been documented to have such young members amongst its ranks, with one exception."

It took Vader a moment before realizing what Thrawn was suggesting. "You mean to say –"

"I don't think it is a mere coincidence that this young boy was found at the very base from which the Jedi Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus were operating."

The Emperor stood up and produced his cane which was leaning against his throne. He walked away a few lengths, passing in front of Vader as he approached the edge of the room. "This boy," he said, voice clear despite facing the other way. "Have you any evidence that he is what you think?"

"Some," Thrawn said mildly. "He resisted an interrogation droid for several hours."

Palpatine made a humming sound. "Strong willed," he purred. "Sounds like Jedi spirit to me. Don't you agree, Lord Vader?"

"Perhaps, my master," Vader intoned.

Palpatine shot him a look before spinning back around. "You have done well to bring this to our attention, Thrawn."

The grand admiral nodded his appreciation. "Thank you, my Emperor."

"Lord Vader will accompany you to the _Chimaera,_ " Palpatine said. "He will get results where your interrogators could not."

Thrawn and Vader shared a look. Together again, the two most loyal servants of the Emperor were at the very least a devastatingly effective team, even if neither were particularly fond of the other.

The Emperor began to make his way back to his throne, the tick of his cane sounding loudly in the high-ceilinged room. "This boy… if he is what Thrawn thinks he is, I want you to bring him before me. I sense something amiss about all this. Do not let me down, Lord Vader."

"I will not, my master."

Palpatine's lip curled into a smile as he sat down. "No. You cannot."

Δ Δ Δ

Leia was bored.

With one knee tucked into her chest and the other leg draped across the padded couch, she absently twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She let out a groan of exasperation. How long had she been waiting? Kenobi must have left hours ago!

At the very least, his extended absence gave her an opportunity to think. He had sprung the idea of training her to be a Jedi so abruptly that Leia had been stunned speechless. Her initial instinct had been to turn him down. What did it even mean to be a Jedi, anyway? The only reference point she had was Ezra and Kanan, and they sure hadn't made it out to look especially glamorous.

But the way Kenobi talked about her… he was acting like she had the potential to be someone great. A real difference maker! Wasn't that what she'd always wanted? Being a senator was an honor of course, but she knew there was only so much she could do on Imperial Center. The Emperor would permit superficial reforms, but he put his foot down whenever she or any other liberal-minded senator introduced legislation designed to enact genuine change. And with galaxy-wide civil war looming, Leia suspected her days in the Senate were numbered.

Was this her path? To become a Jedi? It was too big of a question for her to answer alone. She needed to talk with her parents before making such a commitment. Perhaps she should consult Ezra and Kanan as well. Their opinions could certainly be helpful.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Leia looked up with a start. A shaggy-haired young man wearing a weathered leather jacket was standing in the circular entrance to the main hold. His hands were on his hips, a scowl imprinted on his chiseled face.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" Leia shot back.

"This is my ship!"

Leia shrunk back against the padding. "Oh."

The man took two steps into the cabin. His expression softened a fraction when he got a better look at her.

"How old are you, anyway?"

Leia bristled at the question. Swinging her legs off the bench, she puffed herself up as much as her small frame would permit.

"I am Leia Organa, Princess and Senator from Alderaan," she said proudly. "And you are?"

The man blinked twice at this introduction. "I, um… I'm Han."

Just then, the two of them looked away when they heard footsteps. Kenobi's voice compelled her to stand up.

"I have made my decision, Ezra, and that's final."

"But it's not fair!"

Kenobi was the first to emerge from the hallway. He saw her looking at him and he offered a pained smile.

"Leia. Good of you to wait for me."

"What's going on?" she asked.

Kenobi was followed by Ezra and Kanan, the master's expression exasperated whereas the Padawan's was aggrieved.

"So you trust him more than me!"

Ezra pointed down the hallway where Leia saw the Zabrak Maul emerge.

"This isn't a matter of trust," Kenobi insisted, but Ezra wasn't having it.

"He tried to kill you! He tried to kill Kanan! Why don't you care about that?"

"Oh, he does," Maul said. His voice, low and menacing, infused a chill into the room which tempered Ezra's disgruntlement.

"Ezra, you need to listen to Master Kenobi," Kanan said. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "This is for the best."

Ezra crossed his arms and shrugged off his master's hand. "If you're going, I'm going. It's as simple as that."

"No, Ezra –" Kanan tried to say, but Kenobi interjected.

"This mission requires the utmost discipline and no short amount of skill. Do you really think you are capable for this task?"

Ezra gave the Jedi Master an affronted look. "Don't belittle me! I know what we're up against!"

"Then you know how dangerous it will be."

"Dangerous? Don't talk to me about dangerous! I've been fighting the Empire for two years! Kanan and I have faced it all together! Thrawn, Tarkin, the Inquisitors! Hell, we even went face to face with Darth Vader!"

Maul and Kenobi looked at each other, their eyes widened with surprise. "Say that again?" the Zabrak requested.

"Ezra is embellishing," Kanan said. "We had an encounter with the man, that's all."

"But we escaped, didn't we?"

"By the skin of our teeth, yes."

Kenobi took a step forward. "Vader? You're sure?"

Ezra raised his chin. "Do you doubt me?"

There was a few moments of tense silence as Kenobi stared at Ezra's defiant expression. Finally, he shook his head and walked away. "I don't doubt you, Ezra. But the fact of the matter is you are still a Padawan. Your training is not sufficient to partake in a mission of this importance."

"Oh, but Kanan is qualified? He never finished his training either!"

"Hey!" Kanan exclaimed.

"The boy is right," Maul growled. "Jarrus is a liability to us."

"I'm going," Kanan said through gritted teeth. "I was responsible for Luke's protection, and I let him down. I owe it to him to get him back."

Kenobi nodded. "You are a true Jedi Knight, Kanan Jarrus. You may not have completed your official training, but you have learned what it is to be a warrior. Your Padawan may not appreciate that, but I certainly do."

While Leia couldn't see his eyes, she could tell these words elicited a strong reaction from Kanan. He bowed humbly before Kenobi. "Thank you, Master."

"It's settled then," Kenobi said before Ezra could speak. He spun on his heel to look at Han who was leaning against the wall, having watched this whole exchange from the opposite doorway. "Captain Solo, I have one more job for you."

Han pushed himself away from the wall. "You need transportation?"

Kenobi's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Of sorts."

"Where to?"

"Coruscant."

Han stared at Kenobi blankly for a few moments. "You do realize you guys are Rebels, right?"

Kenobi snorted. "You hear that, Maul? You're a Rebel."

"Honored," Maul muttered.

Han held up his hands and shook his head. "You want to get yourself killed, that's your business. But I'm sure as hell not getting involved."

"That is fine, but we're going to need your ship."

"My ship? Why?"

"It is the only one on this base not belonging to the Rebel Alliance."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Kenobi sighed. "Unfortunately, the Rebels are not willing to support our mission. What did Senator Mothma say, exactly?"

"That your plan was brash, reckless, and irresponsible," Maul provided.

"Ah, yes," Kenobi said, bobbing his head. "That rings a bell."

"Just for the record, I think she's right," Ezra piped up.

"Nobody asked you," Maul snapped.

"Keep it civil, gentlemen," Kenobi said, a hand raised to the both of them. "Now, Captain Solo, I need your answer."

"Absolutely not!"

"Very well then. I suppose Maul can pilot the ship on his own."

"Wait, what?"

"What do you think, Maul? Can you pilot this freighter?"

Maul shrugged. "I suppose."

"You're not taking my ship!" Han exclaimed.

"You'll be compensated, of course," Kenobi said breezily.

Han's face was turning a dark shade of red and Leia had to suppress a laugh at his reaction. Kenobi caught her eye and smiled thinly.

"I'm taking my ship and I'm getting off this humid hellhole," Han spat.

"Be reasonable, Captain Solo," Kenobi entreated.

Leia could practically see steam billowing out of Han's ears. "Reasonable?" he echoed. "This is my ship!"

"Would you like it to stay that way?" Maul asked. Once again, Leia felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees, Maul's ominous voice sending a chill down her spine.

Han seemed to be made of stronger stuff than she gave him credit for because he refused to back down and instead pointed a finger it at Maul. "This ship is my livelihood! You're really going to take it away from me?"

"We would rather not," Kenobi said, his tone even as always. "I have presented you with three options. You could choose to accompany us, and I can assure that you will paid handsomely."

"Assuming we don't all die," Maul muttered.

Kenobi shot the Zabrak a dirty look before continuing. "The second choice is to lend us your ship. In this scenario, you would be remunerated at a lesser fee without having to face any danger to yourself."

"Unless the Empire identifies my ship and places a bounty on my head," Han said.

Kenobi chose to ignore this. "As for the third option… well, I'll have it be known that I don't condone the third option, but that being said, I will not intervene if my associate here chooses to follow through with it."

These words lingered for a long while as Han seethed at the Jedi Master. The captain bit the inside of his cheek and looked away, his expression murderous. "You're a real bastard, you know that?"

Kenobi had the audacity to chuckle. "What is your decision, Captain Solo?"

"Fine," he huffed.

"We have your ship?"

"Chewie and I are flying."

Kenobi's eyebrows shot up with surprise. "Really?"

"This ship is mine. Mine and mine alone. Got it?"

"Very much so."

Han's lip curled with resentment. "If you idiots get caught, I won't hesitate to sell you out to the Empire. I'll tell them the truth. That you forced me into doing this."

"As you should," Kenobi said. Clapping his hands together, he returned his attention to the three men behind him. "Time to go."

"Wait, now?" Ezra asked.

"Time is of the essence," Kenobi told him.

"But what about me?" Leia blurted out.

Kenobi gave her a look. "What about you?"

"I thought…" She trailed off, her face a bit warm. "I thought you wanted to train me."

Kenobi glanced at Maul who frowned at this revelation. Ezra meanwhile expressed the utmost bewilderment.

"Wait, what?" he asked.

"We will discuss this another time," Kenobi said.

"You're Force-sensitive? Since when?"

Leia furrowed her brow. "I'm what?"

Kenobi raised a hand to prevent Ezra from responding. "When I return, we will talk more," he said to Leia. "In the meantime, I want you to stay here on Yavin 4."

"Stay here? But I have to return to the Senate!"

"No," Kenobi said with surprising vehemence. "You are not to go anywhere near the capital, is that clear?"

Leia began to grow indignant at his tone. "You don't tell me what to do," she pointed out.

"Your father will agree with me on this," Kenobi said gravely. "Now go, and take Ezra with you. We must be on our way."

She and Ezra looked at each other. Both wanted to object, but neither were bold enough to do so. It was clear they had reached the end of their rope with Kenobi.

"Go on, Ezra," Kanan said.

"But what about Hera?" Ezra asked. "Don't you want to say goodbye?"

Kanan pursed his lips. "I don't say goodbye anymore."

Leia didn't know what that meant, but Ezra clearly did. "Okay," he said, voice a bit heavy. "Don't get yourself killed."

Kanan offered his Padawan a weak smile. "I'll try not to."

The tender moment was broken when Maul snapped his fingers. "Very touching, but it's time to go. Shoo."

Ezra gave the Zabrak a sour look. "Fine," he snapped. "Princess, are you coming?"

She spared a glance for Kenobi before answering. He met her eyes and nodded. "Yeah," she said, unable to keep the dejection out of her voice. "Coming."

Walking away from the checkered table, Leia faltered when she felt another set of eyes on her. It was Maul, the Zabrak's gaze severe and unwavering. Only then did she notice that his eyes were a pale yellow, as if they were jaundiced or perhaps afflicted with something more sinister. Everything about the man unnerved her.

She and Ezra left the main hold and began trudging down the curved hallway. Communicating silently, the pair stopped in unison to look over their shoulders. Kenobi was watching them, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"We're going!" Ezra said.

"I'll believe it when I see it," the Jedi shot back.

She and Ezra bowed their heads and left the freighter without further delay. The moment they stepped off the ramp, it unfurled behind them and the door closed with a loud hiss.

"I can't believe this," Ezra grumbled. He kicked at the ground and stormed away.

"Hey, wait!" she called after him. Ezra didn't let up so Leia had to run after him. "Ezra! Stop!" She grabbed his shoulders and Ezra spun around to face her.

"I'm going!" he said. "I don't care what Master Kenobi says, I have to help Luke! It's my fault he's in danger in the first place."

"Ezra –"

"I'm ready! I've trained for two whole years! I have experience! I have what it takes! I'm going to –"

"Ezra!"

The boy stopped abruptly when Leia gave him a shake. She grasped his shoulders firmly, not allowing him to turn away.

"I'm going with you," she said.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke was afraid.

He was curled up on the bench with his arms wrapped around his knees. The hair on his skin stood on end and goosebumps flared up and down his torso. Teeth chattering and fingers numb, Luke stared straight ahead without seeing.

He hadn't given them what they wanted, but he knew they would be back – and with them, the pain would return as well. Residual effects of the drug continued to afflict him, and Luke's muscles would occasionally twitch, cramp, or shudder.

" _Your father and I fought our way out of countless battles where the odds were against us. He had a way of flipping the tables on the enemy_."

It was Rex. The clone captain was leaning back in his seat while Luke listened with rapt attention.

" _He was a great warrior,"_ Luke had said.

Rex stared off into space, a faint smile at the corners of his lips. " _Yes, but he was much more than that. He was a Jedi true and true."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _He helped people, Luke. That's what the Jedi were supposed to do. We clones were bred for war. The Jedi were trained for peace. It worked well that way. But the longer the war went on, the more and more they seemed to forget about that. But not Anakin. He never lost sight of who he was."_

There was a sound and Luke was startled back to the present. Refocusing his eyes, he saw that the door to the cell had opened and two Imperials in black uniforms were standing in the hallway.

"Here to t-torture me some more?" he asked, the frailty in his voice belying the intended defiance.

The Imperials didn't answer. Instead, they stepped aside to reveal a mammoth man in black armor and a flowing cape. Luke gasped and sat upright.

"You!" he exclaimed.

There was a tense moment as the pair stared at each other. Finally, the man dismissed the Imperials at his flanks with a flick of his wrist. They departed down the hallway and the cell door closed behind them with a clang.

Luke jumped to his feet. "You came for me!"

Despite not being able to see his face, Luke could sense the man's confusion. He stared down at Luke, the hiss of his respirator the sole sound in the cell. With each passing moment of silence, Luke began to grow more and more uneasy.

"You heard me, didn't you? I asked for your help."

Finally, the man spoke – his mechanical baritone jarring to Luke's ears. " _You_ called for _me_?"

Luke nodded vigorously. "And you came! You're going to get me out of here, right?"

The man was wearing two masks of sort. Whenever he spoke with Kanan, Luke could at least sense the man's feelings even without seeing his eyes. With this man, however, Luke had no such insight.

"Who are you?" the man finally asked.

"You first."

The man made an odd sound. Was it a laugh? A scoff? Or perhaps both. "I am Darth Vader."

That was a funny name, but Luke wasn't going to say so. Instead, he nodded. "Are you with the Empire?"

"…Yes."

Luke gulped. "But you're going to help me, right?"

There was another long pause until Vader finally said: "Take a seat." Luke opened his mouth, but the man raised a gloved finger and quelled the question. "Now."

Intimidated, Luke backed up two steps and fell down onto the bench. He clasped his knees together, feeling especially small in the massive man's wake. His burst of hope at Vader's arrival was waning into burgeoning apprehension. Perhaps he wasn't here to help at all. After all, he said he was with the Empire.

"Your name," he requested.

"Luke."

Vader took a step forward. Luke braced himself for the next question, but it didn't come. Instead, Vader asked: "How did you contact me?"

Luke frowned. "I don't know. The Force?"

"The Force?"

"Yeah, I figured… I don't know. I don't really know anything about the Force."

"But you know of it?"

"A bit."

"What do you know?"

Luke looked down and realized he was bouncing his leg. Placing a hand on his knee, he stopped himself.

"Like I said, I don't know much."

"And yet you managed to contact me."

Luke shrugged. "What does it matter?"

"It matters a great deal. You are Force-sensitive, and a powerful one at that. You have barely begun to scrape your potential."

"…Okay."

Vader raised his chin. "The Emperor wishes to see you."

Luke felt a plunging sensation in his stomach. "The Emperor? No, you can't take me to him!"

"I will not defy my master."

Luke jumped off the bench. "I thought you were here to help me! I thought you were my friend!"

Vader tilted his head. "You were mistaken." With this devastating assessment, he spun around and marched toward the door, cape flowing behind his powerful steps.

Something compelled Luke to cry out. "Wait! Don't leave me!"

Vader opened the cell door but he didn't step out into the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder to look at him.

"My name! Don't you want my name?"

Vader considered. "The Emperor will learn it soon enough."

"But what if I tell you right now?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I think you already know what it is."

Luke didn't know what he was saying, but he said it with confidence. Vader turned around fully, the door sealing shut behind him.

"I already know it?" he echoed.

"You and me – we're connected. The Force brought us together."

Vader took two long strides toward him and Luke felt himself stiffen with fear. He craned his head to meet Vader's blood-red lenses.

"Is that so?"

Luke managed to maintain a visage of confidence. "It is, and you know it."

"Perhaps," Vader conceded.

"Don't you want to know why?"

There was no response, Vader's gaze boring into his own. After nearly a full minute, he shook his head and spun away. Panicking, Luke cried out his truth to Vader's retreating figure.

"Skywalker! My name's Skywalker!"

Vader froze, and Luke felt a strong emotion radiate through the Force. He couldn't identify what it was. Anger? Fear? Regret?

"Luke Skywalker. That's my name."

Vader seemed unable to move, not even to turn around to look at him. The revelation had lanced his armor and seized his limbs. Luke found himself breathing heavily, chest heaving and pulse pounding in his ears. Was Vader going to say anything? Was he going to help him now? He had no idea why his name would make a difference, but he knew that it had.

"Are you going to turn me in?" he asked.

The question seemed to shake Vader from his paralysis. Raising his head, the masked man marched out of the room without a second glance for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly the ideal scenario for father-son bonding. I'm currently working on the next chapter and things are beginning to fall into place. A big confrontation is on the horizon!


	7. Suppression

Vader couldn't breathe.

His heart thumped in his chest and his head throbbed as he staggered down the hall. He was disoriented and dizzy, his respirator unable to keep up with his desperate gasps for air.

_Skywalker! My name's Skywalker!_

It wasn't true! It couldn't be! She hadn't –

_Luke Skywalker. That's my name._

Lies! Nothing but lies!

_Are you going to turn me in?_

"Lord Vader."

Someone was hailing him, their voice muddled and distant. He blinked twice, but his vision was still foggy.

"Lord Vader? Can you hear me?"

"I… I…"

It was Thrawn. The grand admiral was standing in front of him with his chin inclined and his hands held behind his back.

"A word in private, perhaps?"

Vader shook his head gingerly. "I… no, I can't –"

"I really must insist."

"Get out of my way, Thrawn."

Vader pushed past him, but the Chiss called him back.

"I know what transpired in that cell."

Frozen, Vader stared straight ahead. His hands balled into fists.

"What?"

"I saw the security hologram. I know who the boy is to you."

Vader turned around slowly. Thrawn's eyes were narrowed, suspicion etched across his angular face.

"This is a personal matter, Grand Admiral. It does not concern you."

"On the contrary, it very much concerns me. If you will not report your findings to the Emperor, I will be forced to do so myself and reveal your… conflicted interests to him."

Vader took a step toward Thrawn with a finger raised. "What are you suggesting?"

Thrawn refused to be intimidated. "I am merely warning you to proceed with caution."

"I have nothing for which I need to be cautious."

Thrawn gave him a probing look. "I very much doubt that."

Vader clenched his jaw and took another step forward, he and the grand admiral mere inches apart. "Do you doubt my loyalty to the Emperor?"

"I would never doubt Darth Vader's loyalty to his master."

"Good," Vader growled, but Thrawn wasn't finished.

"Anakin Skywalker, on the other hand –"

Thrawn didn't get a chance to finish his thought. Erupting with rage at the man's impudence, Vader grabbed his throat with a gloved hand and lifted him several feet into the air.

"Never utter that name again." Thrawn's face turned ghostly pale as he clawed at Vader's fingers, red eyes wide with terror. A strangled sound rasped from his lips.

"I… I won't…"

Vaguely, Vader noted that a small crowd had assembled around them. Imperial officers, stormtroopers, and droids alike all stopped what they were doing to gawk.

"I will inform the Emperor myself," Vader said, his voice low so the spectators would not overhear. "If you try to go behind my back…" He let the implied threat linger before releasing Thrawn from his grasp. The grand admiral fell to his knees with a thud, back heaving and shoulders shaking as he sucked in the air. Vader loomed over the man for a few moments, an inferno of fury still burning within him.

Thrawn had crossed a line. He would be quite sure never to cross it again. But even so, Vader had no choice now. It was too much of a risk to renege on his word.

He would have to tell the Emperor about the boy.

About the son of Skywalker.

Δ Δ Δ

"I'm going with you."

Ezra stared at her blankly with his mouth ajar. Exasperated, Leia released his shoulders and crossed her arms.

"Well?"

The boy cleared his throat. "I… I don't think –"

"Look, you're going to need my help."

Ezra arched a brow. "I will?"

"How else do you think you're going to get on Thrawn's ship?"

"You can get me on?"

"Maybe. Probably."

Ezra seemed far from convinced. "Look, Princess –"

"Leia. Call me Leia."

"Sure, Leia. This is going to be dangerous. Like, _really_ dangerous."

Leia scowled. "I'm going, Ezra. That's final."

Ezra opened his mouth to object, but he was interrupted when someone called out his name.

"Ezra! Hey, Ezra!"

He turned around and Leia stepped out from behind him to see Sabine and Zeb rushing toward them across the length of the hangar platform. An orange and white astromech droid followed closely in pursuit.

"Karabast," Ezra muttered and Leia gave him a strange look.

"Where's Kanan?" Sabine asked when they came to a stop in front of them.

The sound of engines roaring to life caused them to glance over their shoulders. "There," Ezra said when the freighter lifted into the air and took off.

"He's gone already?" Zeb asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Ezra turned back to his companions with a frown. "Did Hera send you to babysit me?"

Sabine removed her helmet and tucked it under her arm. "What? No!" The droid squawked something and the Mandalorian gave it a dirty look.

"Chop says she did," Ezra translated.

Sabine brushed the hair out of her face abashedly. "Okay, technically she did. But that's not why we're here. Not really."

"Are you here to help?" Leia asked.

Sabine and Zeb looked at her for the first time. "What are you doing here?" the Lasat asked.

Leia felt her face heat with indignation, but Ezra cut her off before she could hurl a retort. "I know Hera wants you to keep an eye on me, but this is something I have to do, okay? So you can either help me or you can get out of my way."

"Our way," Leia corrected.

Ezra sighed. "Leia –"

"I'm going!"

"This is not a good idea," Ezra bemoaned.

"Oh, you think you're so much better than me because you have a fancy lightsaber?" Leia pointed at the sky where the freighter had just flown away from. "Master Kenobi said he wants to train me! Me! That means I'm plenty qualified."

Ezra turned to her with his hands raised. "You have no training, no experience. Hell, you don't even have a weapon!"

"Then give me a blaster! Or better yet, do you have a spare lightsaber? I could use one of those!"

She heard Sabine snicker and Leia shot her an ugly look. "Lightsabers don't grow on trees, Princess."

"Look Leia, I know you want to help, but you're out of your depths here," Ezra told her.

"Way out of your depths," Zeb contributed.

"So what's the deal?" Sabine asked. "Are you letting us help or not?"

Ezra turned back to his friends. "Alright, but how are we going to get to Imperial Center?"

"We can take the _Phantom_."

"Won't Hera notice?"

"Not until it's too late."

"Alright then. Let's do it."

The three nodded to each other before turning to depart. Leia watched with her mouth agape. They were leaving without her! They weren't even acknowledging her! How dare they!"

"Hey!"

She stomped her foot and the three glanced back at her, the Lasat sighing loudly.

"What?" he asked.

"I am going with you!"

"Sorry, Your Highness," Zeb turned to depart, but Leia stopped him in his tracks.

"If you don't let me go, I'm going straight to Captain Syndulla!"

That gave them serious pause. Ezra and Sabine glanced at each other.

"That's right! I'll tell her you're planning to steal her ship!"

Ezra rubbed his forehead wearily. "Leia –"

"I mean it! You're not going without me!"

Sabine reached to her holster and Leia froze when she produced a blaster. "I really don't want to have to stun you," she said, carbine targeted at her chest.

Leia raised her hands and backed away. "Wait –"

Ezra placed a hand on the blaster and lowered the weapon. "Sabine, don't."

"Why not? She's jeopardizing the mission."

"Let her come."

"What!?"

Ezra looked at her. "The Force is calling to you, isn't it?"

Leia hesitated. "I… I think so." She shook her head. "No, I know so. This boy needs my help."

Ezra nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."

Δ Δ Δ

The mood was especially grim in the main hold of the _Falcon._ Obi-Wan was seated on the bench, fingers absently stroking at his beard. Maul and Jarrus were standing, the former brooding by the technical station while the latter paced back and forth. On occasion they would spare each other a suspicious look which Obi-Wan tried to ignore.

"So what's the plan here, Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan looked over at Maul. "Why is the planning always my responsibility?" he asked, to which the Sith merely shrugged.

"Ezra and I have infiltrated Imperial prisons before," Jarrus contributed. Obi-Wan considered the young Jedi. He seemed quite anxious, his pacing agitated and jittery.

"A miracle you survived," Maul sneered.

Jarrus did an admirable job acting as if he hadn't heard this comment. "Getting in isn't what's difficult, it's getting out that's the trick."

"Have you ever infiltrated a Star Destroyer before?" Obi-Wan asked.

Jarrus pursed his lips. "No."

"This will be considerably more difficult." Obi-Wan groaned as he got to his feet, back protesting at the motion. He walked away a few lengths. Jarrus gave him a wide berth, out of respect he hoped. "One way or another, our presence will be detected. It would be foolish to presume otherwise. Escape will be especially difficult when this happens."

"Difficult? More like impossible," Maul grumbled.

"It's not impossible," Jarrus countered.

"Very few things are," Obi-Wan mused. He turned around to face his compatriots. "The tractor beam will have to be disabled before we attempt our escape. This I will handle on my own."

"What about us?" Jarrus asked.

"You will find the boy."

"Together?"

"Yes, together."

Maul took a step forward. "You trust me not to kill this fool?"

Obi-Wan met Maul's gaze, his jaw set and his eyes cold. "I don't trust you, but I don't believe you to be an imbecile, either. Kanan and I are your only allies."

"I have no allies."

"And that is why you fail."

There was a tense silence as Maul seethed at him. It was exchanges like these which reminded Obi-Wan that their partnership was one of convenience, nothing more. Maul would turn on him the moment he got the chance, and Obi-Wan had to be prepared to do the same.

The freighter lurched forward and Obi-Wan had to hold out his hands to maintain his balance. He kept his gaze on Maul, however, their standoff not yet concluded. A voice hollered out from down the hall.

"Hey! You three! Get in here!"

Maul blinked first. Turning away from Obi-Wan, he spared Jarrus a hostile look before marching toward the cockpit. Obi-Wan was about to follow him when Jarrus stopped him.

"Master, might I have a word?"

"What is it, my friend?"

Jarrus licked his lips. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave me with Maul."

"Do you fear you can't handle him?"

"I…" Jarrus bowed his head, perhaps with shame. "It's not him who I am afraid of. It's myself."

Obi-Wan frowned at this. "Yourself? Whatever for?"

"He took my sight, Master. It is because of him that I'll never be able to see my Padawan again. My friends and comrades. The woman I love. He took that from me." A tenuous pause, Jarrus' face tight with emotion. "I hate him for that."

Obi-Wan allowed these words to sink in fully before answering. He reached out and placed a hand on Jarrus' armored shoulder. "You fear the darkness within you."

Jarrus nodded. "I do, Master."

"That is good. As long as you can acknowledge it and not act on it, you will do well."

"But how can I do that?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I hate him as well," he confessed. "More than anything, I hate that man. I wish him dead for the things he has done to me. It is only natural for you and I to feel this anger. A true Jedi does not suppress his emotion, but instead embraces it. We realize it as a flaw and we do what we can to resist it."

"You are wiser than I, Master. I am not as strong as you."

"I meant what I said to you, Caleb." The young Jedi stiffened at his true name. "You are wise and you are strong. Maul is neither. Remember that."

Jarrus bowed his head for a second time, this time with reverence. "Thank you, Master."

Obi-Wan smiled thinly and gave Jarrus a pat on the shoulder. "Let's go see what we're up against."

The two Jedi walked side by side out of the main hold. They curled down the hallway before entering the cockpit through the hatch. Their arrival was met with a growl of greeting from the Wookiee copilot. Maul, who was peering out the viewport with a hand grasping the backs of both seats, glanced over his shoulder.

"Get over here, Kenobi."

The Sith stepped aside to reveal an incredible sight. Their freighter drifted along in a designated lane of civilian and cargo ships. Along the peripheries, Obi-Wan could see countless other lanes of traffic as vessels departed and arrived from the luminous planet below: Coruscant.

It had been so long. He had spent the first half of his life here. It was the closest he had ever had to a home. But not anymore. Just like everything he had ever loved, the home he had known had been tarnished by the Emperor. Coruscant was no more; Imperial Center was all that remained. But from space, one could not make such a distinction. The vibrant grid of never-ending metropolis did not fail to inspire awe in him as it so often did in the past.

"Where are the military ships?"

Obi-Wan snapped out of his hypnosis. Looking away from the planet, he considered the bustling traffic. He scanned from left to right to no avail.

"They must be on the other side of the planet," he said.

"How am I going to get over there?" their pilot asked. Glancing down at the man, Obi-Wan saw his forehead was shining with sweat.

"I take it you've never been to the capital before?" Obi-Wan asked him.

Han snorted. "I never touch the Core if I don't have to, much less Imperial Center."

The freighter continued onward at a steady place. Coruscant grew larger in the viewport, its brilliant light drowning out the stars in the backdrop.

"We have to get out of this lane," Obi-Wan said.

"Where?"

"Up?"

"What do you mean up?"

"Get into the upper lane." Han gave him a skeptical look. "Just do it."

The pilot shook his head before pulling up on the throttle. "We're not going to hit anyone, are we?"

"The lanes are staggered, don't worry."

Up they went, the air lanes below shrinking until the vessels were no more than dots. Once they were high enough, Han let up on the throttle and began guiding the freighter forward again. Rather than approaching the planet's equator, their new trajectory skimmed over its northern pole.

"Surely we're not allowed here."

"That's the point, Captain. Keep flying."

In his peripheral vision, Obi-Wan saw Maul point. "There. Imperial Star Destroyers."

Sure enough, there they were. On the opposite end of the planet as Obi-Wan had suspected in a designated military zone half-way between the planet and one of its moons. Although they were far away, Obi-Wan thought he could make out three capital ships, their triangular shape not unlike the _Venerators_ from the Clone Wars.

"Punch it, Chewie."

The three standing members braced themselves when the _Falcon_ picked up speed.

"Be careful," Obi-Wan warned the captain. "We don't want to arouse suspicion."

"What exactly is the plan here? Fly right up to the Imperial Navy and hope they don't shoot us out of the sky?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "When we get close enough I want you to cut the engines."

"Cut the engines? Why?"

"It's standard military procedure to board derelicts rather than shoot them down."

"It is? How do you know that?"

Obi-Wan gulped as the Star Destroyers continued to grow in the window. It was clear he had been mistaken. There weren't three of them, but five. And they were far larger than the _Venerators_ had ever been.

"During the Clone Wars it was," he said.

Han threw his hands up. "That's just great." He turned around and pointed a finger at him. "Sorry to break it to you, old man, but it ain't the Clone Wars anymore. A lot of things have changed since then."

"Well hopefully this isn't one of them."

For about a minute longer they continued to accelerate until Han gave the order to cut the engines.

"Alright Chewie, turn off the lights."

The Wookiee flicked a switch and the freighter went dark. Obi-Wan let out a breath, producing a cloud of condensed air.

"Which ship is the one?" Jarrus asked.

When Obi-Wan didn't respond, Maul elbowed him in the ribs. "Kenobi?"

"Working on it," he muttered.

Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan reached out into the Force. He alone knew the boy well enough to detect his presence, but even so he had his doubts. It wasn't as if he had ever spoken to Anakin's son. He had merely watched him from a distance for sixteen years.

Sifting through the surfeit of beings aboard the five destroyers was an exhausting and fruitless endeavor. There were too many. How could he know with any certainty which one contained Anakin's son? How could he –

An odious sensation erupted in his core, virulent and biting. His eyes flew open and Obi-Wan staggered backward. Maul and Jarrus leapt to his aid and managed to prevent him from falling.

"Master!"

"Kenobi, what is it?"

He was breathing heavily, skin damp with icy-cold sweat. Shrugging off the hands supporting him, he stood up on his two feet.

"Did you find him? Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan suppressed a shiver, the residual tendrils of that vicious chill still snaking through him. He took a step forward, eyes dead set on the second destroyer from the left.

"That's the one," he said.

"Is it Skywalker? Did you sense him?"

Obi-Wan turned to Maul, his expression dire. "Not him. Vader."

Δ Δ Δ

Vader was kneeling on the circular dais with his head bowed. His hips screamed in protest, a dull pain percolating up his torso, but he maintained the position. He wouldn't show his master how much pain he was in. He didn't want him to have that satisfaction.

For fifteen minutes he waited. He knew the Emperor was a busy man, but oftentimes he felt as if he kept him waiting deliberately. Everything with Palpatine was a power move of sorts. Yet Vader didn't mind. The delay gave him the opportunity to properly steel himself for the conversation to come. His shields were raised in preparation – whether they would be effective was a separate matter entirely.

How would his master react? Would he view the boy as a threat? Would he order that he eliminate him? If so, could Vader really follow through with that command?

No, that was not the question. He knew he was more than capable of committing such a deed. The concepts of morality and ethicality, of pathos and sympathy – these were but words to him now. After everything he had done, all the people he had slaughtered, everyone he had let down…

There was no compass left for Darth Vader but the one his master provided. And that needle always pointed in the direction of destruction, of carnage, of hate. He followed his master's instruction unimpeachably – even if that meant executing the boy.

His own son.

No. _No._

Not his son.

Skywalker's son.

 _Not_ his.

" _Ah, my friend. You make contact with me so soon. Tell me, were you successful?"_

Vader looked up at his master's hologram. Even through the blue tinge, he could make out his vile eyes – the color of which now reflected in Vader's own like some sort of melanoma of the soul.

"Yes, my master. I have obtained the boy's name."

" _Well go on."_

Vader took a deep breath of oxygen-rich air, yet the respirator did little to attenuate his affliction.

"The boy… is the son of Anakin Skywalker."

For the first time in sixteen years, Vader saw his master afraid. For a fraction of a second he looked like the frail man on the window sill before Master Windu's blade, hands raised in surrender and eyes wide with terror. Yet the moment passed and the inscrutable countenance of Palpatine returned once more.

" _Skywalker's son, you say? Are you sure?"_

"Yes, my master."

There was a long pause as Palpatine considered this information. He ducked his head, cowl obscuring his features. Vader watched him unblinkingly.

" _An unexpected development,"_ he said finally.

"What would you have me do, Master?"

Palpatine met his gaze. Perhaps he was surprised by how deferential he was being. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowed and his sharp teeth bared. Vader's breathing apparatus hitched, leaving him gasping for air as a deeply familiar presence presented itself to him.

" _You sense it?"_

Vader got to his feet, unable to remain kneeling. He balled up his fists and clenched his jaw so tight that his face began to shake. "Kenobi. He is here."

Palpatine seemed confused. _"Kenobi, you say?"_

"I have not sensed his presence for sixteen years. It is him, I know it."

" _Then he is not alone."_

"Master?"

" _Be careful, Lord Vader. I will come to assist you."_

"Why would I require assistance?"

Palpatine didn't answer him. _"The boy is what they are after. You must stop them."_

Before Vader could ask who the 'they' in question was, the feed was severed and his master was gone. Electing not to spare Palpatine's cryptic comments a second thought, Vader produced his lightsaber from his belt and marched away from the dais.

Kenobi was here for his son. He would not succeed.

Δ Δ Δ

Footsteps sounded above as Obi-Wan rocked back and forth, his back pressed against the metal wall and his knees tucked into his chest. Eyes shut tight, he did everything he could to stave off Vader's probing presence. It was enormous – daunting and terrible, this man bore no resemblance to the one he had known all those years ago.

A voice hissed in his ear. "Kenobi! Kenobi!"

He opened an eye tentatively. Maul was seated next to him while Han, Chewbacca, and Jarrus were against the opposite wall. Upon being pulled aboard by the tractor beam, the captain had led them to these secret compartments underneath the floorboards of the hallway. They had been waiting here for fifteen minutes while stormtroopers searched the seemingly empty freighter.

"We have to move," Han said urgently. "The second they get a scanner on board, we're done for."

As if on cue, they heard a disgruntled voice above them accompanied by scuffling footsteps. "This thing's heavier than a gundark." There was a loud smash, and the same voice yelled out: "Hey! Be careful with that!"

Han pointed up at the crack in the floorboard. "We're blocked," he mouthed. Sure enough, the captain was right – the light from the hallway was now obscured by the scanning device the stormtroopers had brought on board.

"Is there another exit?" Obi-Wan asked in a whisper.

Han gestured with his head to the left. "Down there."

Obi-Wan gave him the thumbs up before crawling past Maul down the hall. He grimaced, knees protesting and joints creaking. He was getting too old for this sort of thing.

"Here," he said to himself. Standing upright, he pushed the trap door aside and lifted himself into the hallway. Struggling to his feet, he stretched out his back and brushed down his dusty robes. "Ah, much better."

"Hey! You!"

Obi-Wan turned to the two startled stormtroopers and offered them a smile. "Hello there."

"Identify yourself!"

Before the stormtroopers could reach for their blasters, Obi-Wan dismissed them with a flick of his wrist. They went crashing into the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Coast is clear," he told his companions.

Maul emerged first as Obi-Wan kneeled down to the felled stormtroopers. "What are you doing?" he asked him.

"Trying to find a comlink."

Jarrus arrived, followed soon thereafter by Han and Chewbacca. "It's in their helmet," the younger Jedi told him.

"Ah, I see." Obi-Wan lifted the helmet off of the stormtrooper to reveal an exceptionally young man. Perhaps no older than eighteen. "Captain Solo, would you like to do the honors?"

Han frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure the command tower would be pleased to learn that the scanner detected no life forms aboard this ship."

"Oh, right. Sure." Obi-Wan tossed him the helmet and the captain stuffed it over his head. Chewbacca woofed with amusement and even Obi-Wan found himself smiling. "Uh… hello? Is this thing working?"

Han startled when a voice blared from the internal comlink of the helmet, so loud that the rest of them could hear as well. _"LK-457, what is your status?"_

"Kark, this thing's loud!"

" _What was that, LK-457?"_

"Nothing! I mean… nothing to report, sir."

" _The scanner detected no life forms?"_

"None whatsoever! This ship's empty, sir."

" _Very well. Return the scanner to storage bay 4."_

"Yes, sir! Right away, sir."

Han tore off the helmet and threw it aside. "There's got to be an audio setting on that thing somewhere, right?" he asked, rubbing his ears tenderly.

"You're going to have to put that back on, I'm afraid," Obi-Wan told him.

"Why?"

Obi-Wan gestured to the scanner as if it were obvious. "You were given a direct order, LN-217. Are you really not going to follow it?"

Han raised a finger. "First off, it was LK-457. Second, I don't take orders from anyone but myself."

"Yes, but LR-585 most certainly does."

Maul made an exasperated sound. "Enough with the games, Kenobi. We need to get moving."

"Yes, but not until Captain Solo suits up. If this scanner doesn't leave this ship, the Empire's going to send another crew to collect it."

Han suddenly realized the predicament. "Oh, I see. Okay, I'll do it, but this is a two man job. No way I can carry that myself." Chewbacca roared and Han gave his companion an apologetic look. "Sorry, pal. Something makes me think you'd stick out around here. You'd better stay with the ship."

Obi-Wan turned to Maul and the Sith rolled his eyes. "It's not going to be me. Those helmets aren't horn-friendly."

"And I'm sure not doing it," Obi-Wan said. "Seems like this one is up to you, Kanan."

The younger Jedi grumbled his dissatisfaction, but he didn't object with Obi-Wan's instruction. While he and Han stripped the stormtroopers of their armor, Obi-Wan leaned against the padded wall and kneaded his forehead. The levity quickly faded and he found himself presented with Vader's dominant presence once more. He was close. Too close.

"You go with Kanan and Solo," he instructed Maul. "Dump the scanner in the hallway and go find the boy. I will deal with the tractor beam."

"How will we stay in contact?"

Obi-Wan turned to Han. "Captain Solo, do you have any comlinks for us?"

The captain had just finished applying his breastplate when he looked up. "Comlinks? Sure thing. Chewie can handle that."

The Wookiee loped down the hallway and Obi-Wan returned his attention to Maul. "If Vader finds you, do not engage him unless you have no choice. You won't stand a chance on your own."

"What about you? You stand less of a chance by yourself."

Obi-Wan nodded grimly. "Oh, I know it."

That was the plan, after all. Lure Vader out and keep him away from the boy. He very well knew how that could end for him…

"Alright, we're good to go. Chewie, you got the comlinks? Great."

Obi-Wan shook himself back to the present and accepted a comlink from the furry paw of Chewbacca. He pocketed it and produced his lightsaber.

"Alright, gentlemen. Let's do this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get very busy aboard the _Chimaera_. It's basically the Death Star sequence but with way more players. And that's fun, right?


	8. Reunited

Ezra muttered under his breath, his face pinched with concern. Sabine tapped her foot against the floor as she guided the ship forward with white-knuckled hands. Zeb paced back and forth, his heavy steps causing the compact cockpit to shake as if it too were trembling with anxiety. Leia alone was calm. She stood in between Ezra and Sabine with her hands held behind her back and her chin inclined.

"Are you sure?" Sabine asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes," was Leia's curt reply.

She was spared from having to explain herself when a transmission sounded from the coms system.

" _Unidentified vessel, this is designated military air space. Leave the area immediately or we will be forced to open fire."_

Leia gave her companions a confident nod. She took a breath before delivering her prepared statement. "This is Leia Organa, Senator and Princess of Alderaan. I was on my way to a humanitarian mission on Wobani when my ship was raided by pirates. My security detail managed to get me to safety, but our escape craft was damaged during the jump to hyperspace. We have lost control over steering and our hyperdrive is overheating. We request permission to dock in your hangar bay."

The com crackled for a few tenuous moments as they awaited a reply. Finally, they received one and Leia exhaled with relief. _"You're in safe hands now, Senator. We'll pull you in with the tractor beam."_

Sabine muted the line and gave Leia a look of begrudging appreciation. "Nicely done."

"That was the easy part," Leia said gravely. The Star Destroyer grew larger in their view port as they drifted forward. She had never seen one up close before. It truly was a massive ship…

Ezra's voice compelled her to look away. "You're sure this is the one? There's four other Star Destroyers, you know."

"This is the one." Leia nodded to herself with unwavering confidence. "Luke is here. I can sense it."

Ezra stood up from the copilot's chair. "I don't understand. I've been a Padawan for two years and I can't sense him. How can you? You have no training at all!"

Leia shrugged. "I don't need training."

The small vessel shuddered and Leia held out her arms to keep her balance. "They've got us in the tractor beam," Sabine announced.

Leia smiled to herself. "This is where the fun begins."

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan didn't make a sound as he navigated the sleek hallways of the Star Destroyer. It seemed the Force was with him as he had yet to encounter a single soul, but Obi-Wan knew his luck would only last so long. He needed to find the tractor beam generator quickly.

He donned his cowl and raised his shields, hoping to stave off Vader's looming presence at least for the immediate future. He knew there would be no avoiding him, however. The moment he had sensed him, Obi-Wan had known that they would face each other. It was a confrontation he had been dreading ever since Mustafar. Ever since he had left him to die…

"I'm not ready, Master."

He whispered the words so faintly and so hoarsely that they scarcely escaped his lips. Eyes closed, he took a turn at his intuition's behest and continued onward.

"I have not yet mastered your training."

Of course there was no response. He could only ever communicate with his late master when he was deep in a meditative trance. Qui-Gon's Force presence was so weakly connected to the material world that it made it almost impossible for them to communicate. But in spite of the obstacles, they had found a way. The process had been arduous and the training grueling, but Obi-Wan had finally gotten a grasp on what his master had tried to learn all those years ago. Even so, he was woefully unprepared. He had thought he would have many more years to perfect the craft.

That wasn't the only reason he was apprehensive. There had been times he had yearned and pleaded for it, there had even been times when he had contemplated pursuing it, but now that he was finally here, Obi-Wan was afraid of it.

Death.

The Jedi told him not to fear such things. Mortality was but a figment of our distorted interpretation of the material world. With death, one began life anew when he became one with the Force.

In the moment, Obi-Wan could no longer find solace in these esoteric teachings. Death was real and it was terrifying. His heart hammered in his chest, each thump louder than the last until he could hear nothing but its powerful percussion. Obi-Wan stopped at the end of the hall and held his hand to the wall. He gasped for breath, pleading with himself to calm down.

The boy. Think of the boy. He needed help! Obi-Wan couldn't let him down!

And he wouldn't. Because he had promised never to do so again. He pushed himself away from the wall and regained his bearings. "I won't let you down, Master. I won't."

Δ Δ Δ

Vader stormed down the bridge of the _Chimaera,_ officers parting before him and revealing the distinctive blue figure of Thrawn standing in front of the view port. As if sensing his arrival, the Grand Admiral turned around – a hint of wariness wrought across his features.

"Lock down the ship. Nobody leaves and nobody enters. Is that clear, Grand Admiral?"

Thrawn narrowed his red eyes. "May I ask what is the reason for this order?"

Vader came to a stop and he could feel the bridge grow still with anticipation. News of his encounter with Thrawn had no doubt spread like wildfire. Good. Such a display would instill subordination as well as fear: The two greatest attributes in an officer.

"We have been compromised. Rebels are aboard this ship as we speak."

Thrawn expressed surprise at this. "But Lord Vader, the Rebels would never be so brash. We are in orbit around Imperial Center. Surely they would not –"

Vader raised a finger, quelling Thrawn's speech. "Do not question me. The Rebels are here and Kenobi is with them."

"Kenobi? The Jedi?"

"I must face him. Alone."

Vader spun on his heel and made to depart, but Thrawn called after him. "Lord Vader, what would you have me do with the princess?"

He stopped abruptly and looked over his shoulder. "What princess?"

"The Princess of Alderaan. She requested to dock about ten minutes ago."

Vader marched back to the Grand Admiral. "And you allowed her?"

"I did."

Vader growled. He knew of this princess. She was the daughter of two known Rebel sympathizers. "She is a diversion. I want her arrested."

"But Lord Vader, if you are mistaken, the optics of such an order –"

Clenching his fist, Vader exerted a tiny amount of pressure on Thrawn's larynx. The Grand Admiral shut up abruptly, his face blanching with fear. "I don't care about _optics._ Arrest her and heighten security in the detention center. The Rebels are after the boy."

"Yes, Lord Vader," Thrawn managed to say, his voice high.

"If the Rebels succeed, I will hold you personally responsible, Thrawn." With this threat hanging over the Grand Admiral's head, Vader turned around and stormed away.

Δ Δ Δ

The hatch to the _Phantom_ opened with a creak and Leia descended the ramp without a moment's hesitation. She held her head high and proceeded with an air of royal elegance which came from years of experience and practice.

An Imperial officer flanked by a half dozen stormtroopers on either side awaited her at the bottom of the ramp. She frowned at the sizable greeting party. Was this strictly necessary?

"Senator Organa, welcome aboard the _Chimaera._ "

The officer was a lanky man with a thin face and a drooping eyelids. He peered down at her with a look of undisguised contempt.

"Thank you for rescuing me and my crew –" Leia began, but the officer cut her off.

"I have orders to arrest you. Please give me your hands."

Leia took a step back. "Arrest me? For what?"

The stormtroopers pointed their blasters at her and Leia froze. "Your hands, Senator." The officer produced a pair of binders and Leia gulped. This wasn't how she had envisioned things unfolding.

She summoned her courage and set her jaw. "You have no right to treat me this way. I am a member of the Imperial Senate! You can't just arrest me without cause!"

"Continue to resist, and I will be forced to stun you."

She heard a whirring sound as the stormtroopers set their blasters to stun. Staring down the barrel of one of these carbines, Leia felt her resolve wither.

"Very well," she said, her voice squeaky. Extending her hands, Leia braced herself for the cold metal of the binders. Yet before the officer could slap them to her wrists, a blaster bolt pierced the air and the man was struck directly between the eyes. The officer fell to his back, dead. Leia stared at his blank expression – his eyes glassy and his mouth ajar. She was transfixed with macabre fascination. That man had died right in front of her! She had never seen violence like that up close.

"Leia! Get down!"

Only then did she register the chaos around her. Blaster bolts whizzed about while she stood vigil in the middle of the crossfire. She experienced a shock of terror at the realization that she could end up much like the man at her feet if she didn't move. Falling to the ground, she tucked her chin into her chest and held the back of her head with her hands. She pleaded for it to end, the deafening noise of the blaster fire drowning out her screaming.

"Leia, are you alright?"

And just like that, it was over. The colossal sound was gone, but her ears were still ringing – the voice calling to her sounding distant and muddled. She suddenly felt someone prodding her shoulder.

"Leia? Are you hit?"

She looked up to see Ezra standing over her, green lightsaber in hand. When she opened her mouth to respond, no words came out. She was mute.

"Sabine! Get over here!"

The Mandalorian girl was suddenly at Ezra's side. She took off her helmet to inspect her.

"She's fine. Just in shock."

"Leia, we need to go." Ezra grabbed her by the elbow and hoisted her to her feet. Leia's legs wobbled, seemingly unable to support her own weight. "Zeb, help me out, would you?"

Leia felt herself get lifted up by her scruff. Startled, she found her voice again.

"Hey! Let me go!"

Zeb chuckled and set her down gently. "We good to go?" he asked.

"This place is going to be crawling with bucketheads in a minute," Sabine said.

Ezra gave her a concerned look. "You sure you're okay?"

Leia nodded dazedly. "Yeah, I…" She glanced down at the dead officer sprawled out on the ground. Swallowing hard, she returned her gaze to Ezra and gave him a nod. "I'm fine. Let's move."

Δ Δ Δ

The engine room echoed loudly with every sound he made. Obi-Wan did his best to keep quiet, but there was only so much discretion he could afford to make. In this instance, making haste took precedence over his personal security. That seemed to be the case far too often for him

"Any idea what's going on?"

"I dunno. Probably another drill."

Two stormtroopers talked with one another idly, totally oblivious to Obi-Wan's presence. He was hugging a cylindrical mechanism, inching along the narrow platform toward the control panel. He spared a glance over his shoulder but instantly regretted indulging his curiosity. There was no railing on the platform and all that separated him from a sheer drop into the bowels of the ship was two inches of corrugated metal.

"Keep calm, Kenobi. Just keep calm."

He breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the panel in question. Looking it over, Obi-Wan shrugged to himself before pulling the large lever. That looked important. There was a glissando of lowering pitches as the tractor beam powered down. A red light flashed, and Obi-Wan was satisfied he had done his job.

Before he returned to the safety of the main platform, Obi-Wan stopped to unscrew a bolt from the control panel. He then crept around the corner to see the two stormtroopers still standing guard at the entrance to the hallway. Neglecting their duties, the soldiers continued to chat.

"You heard what Vader did to Blueface?"

"Oh yeah. That was brutal."

Obi-Wan paused at Vader's name – the reminder of their impending encounter causing his pulse to quicken. Quelling this thought, Obi-Wan took the bolt in his palm and threw it at a metal silo at the opposite end of the hallway. The bolt sailed true and made a loud sound when it hit the silo.

"What was that?"

With the stormtroopers distracted, Obi-Wan slipped into the hallway and hurried away in the opposite direction. The door to the engine room closed behind him and Obi-Wan brushed his hands together to applaud a job well done.

Glancing around to see that nobody was around, Obi-Wan produced his comlink. "Maul, do you copy?"

His companion was quick to reply. _"We've just dumped the scanner and are on our way to the detention center."_

Obi-Wan considered his best course of action. Should he make his way back to the hangar and hope to keep Vader away from the detention center? This would be the ideal strategy, but Obi-Wan didn't know if he trusted Maul enough to commit to it. What if Maul chose to follow through on his threat and kill Kanan? He could then rescue the boy himself and take an escape pod to the planet's surface. While it would be a daring plan, Obi-Wan wouldn't put it past Maul.

"Stay where you are. I'm on my way."

" _You want us to stop? But what about Vader?"_

"We'll face him together if it comes to that."

" _But –"_

Obi-Wan deactivated the device and tucked it back into his pocket. He could only hope Maul would follow the order.

Without knowing where he was going, Obi-Wan meandered down the hallways of the Star Destroyer. He had a general recollection of the layout of _Venerator-_ class destroyers, so he figured he had to go aft to find the detention center. All the while, Vader's presence continued to bear down on him. Obi-Wan wanted to open up to the Force to find his companions, but he couldn't do this without exposing himself.

He took a turn and nearly tripped over something. Looking down, he did a double take when he saw a fallen stormtrooper, a smoldering tendril of smoke wafting from a blaster wound to his chest. Who had done this? Maul? Wouldn't he have used his lightsaber?

Obi-Wan looked up when he heard a sound. It sounded like retreating footsteps. Stepping over the stormtrooper, Obi-Wan followed in pursuit. Reaching the end of the hallway, he looked left then right. That's when he saw them.

"Ezra Bridger!"

The boy with the green lightsaber stopped at once, and the Lasat leading the rear nearly crashed into him. As Bridger turned around to face him, Obi-Wan's stomach dropped when he saw who was next to him.

"Leia?"

The princess' eyes widened before ducking her head in shame. Incredulous, Obi-Wan gaped at her.

"What is going on here?"

"Master Kenobi –" Bridger began to say, but Obi-Wan cut him off.

"I want to hear from the princess."

He approached the mortified girl with three long strides. She seemed unable to meet his gaze.

"Care to explain this to me?"

She mumbled to her feet, and Obi-Wan had to lean forward to hear. "I'm sorry, Master Kenobi. I just… I really wanted to help."

Obi-Wan sighed. He knew he ought to be upset with her, but he couldn't muster it. All he could think about was how similar she was to Anakin.

"From here on, you are staying with me. Do you understand?"

Leia nodded without looking at him.

"Good." Obi-Wan unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and turned to Bridger. "Do you know where you're going?"

The boy was about to say something when he froze. He and Leia both looked beyond him in unison, their faces blanching with fright.

"What? What is it?"

"It's him," Bridger whispered.

Obi-Wan turned around and there he was. Darth Vader was standing about two dozen feet away with his red blade active in his hand. Shields disintegrating in an instant, Obi-Wan was struck with a shocking cold and a red-hot rage. Vader spoke, and his deep voice was nothing like the one he remembered.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. We meet again at last."

Obi-Wan activated his blade and held out his free hand to shield the girl. "Leave now," he said out of the corner of his mouth to Bridger.

"I'm going to help you!" the boy hissed.

"No. Take the princess with you."

Bridger hesitated, but his companions convinced him to obey. "Ezra, come on!" one of them pleaded. They turned to run, and Obi-Wan dropped his arm. Holding his lightsaber with two hands, he assumed his master's posture – knees bent and blade vertical at his side.

Vader began to approach, his movements slow yet threatening. "You are here for the boy."

Obi-Wan's grip on his lightsaber tightened and his lip curled with disdain. "He is not yours to corrupt."

Vader came to a stop. Two meters separated the former friends. For a long while, neither said anything as they looked each other over. Vader's respirator filled the silence, the caustic sound reverberating through Obi-Wan's tense body.

"You wish to steal my son from me."

Obi-Wan's posture slackened with dejection. So he knew. The boy would never be safe now.

"I will do what I must," he said resolutely.

Vader stiffened, the symmetry of the situation not lost on him. He raised his lightsaber and a flare of fury projected through the Force.

"You will fail."

Δ Δ Δ

Leia ran as fast as she could, but she struggled to keep up. The long white dress coupled with her much shorter strides had Leia far behind Ezra, Zeb, and Sabine.

"Wait!"

They turned a corner out of sight and Leia' s panic augmented further still. She had never experienced such sheer terror. The arrival of Vader had been accompanied by an oppressive chill which had Leia shivering. She had seen the man from afar before on Imperial Center, but never like this – as his enemy and target. His jet black armor and blood-red eyes made him look like the manifestation of death itself.

Leia felt horrible for running, but what could she do? She wasn't a fighter, she never had been. Master Kenobi would face Vader alone. And he would lose.

Making the turn, Leia was relieved to see her companions had stopped to wait for her. Yet as she approached, Leia realized that they weren't waiting for her at all. Their path had been blocked by someone.

"Maul!" Ezra exclaimed.

The Zabrak whom she had been so afraid of before now came as a welcome friend. Surely he could protect them from Vader.

"What are you doing here, Bridger?"

Ezra glanced over his shoulder to see her running toward them. "Are you okay?"

"I…I'm…" Leia stopped to catch her breath. She was woefully out of shape compared to the rest of the crew. "I'm okay."

"What is going on? Why are you here?"

"We're here to help," Ezra said.

Maul growled. "We don't require your assistance."

Just then, two figures emerged from the intersection behind Maul. At first, Leia startled when she saw they were dressed in stormtrooper armor, but they weren't wearing helmets and she recognized them at once.

"Ezra?"

It was Kanan. The Jedi wasn't wearing his face mask, and his blind eyes were closed. Walking at his side was Han, the handsome pilot she had met earlier that day.

"You came anyway? I can't believe you!" Kanan scolded his Padawan.

"Really?"

Kanan snorted. "You're right, I can believe it. Although I would have thought you would have listened to Master Kenobi if not to me."

"Why did you get separated?"

"We split up. He was going to meet us here. Did you see him?"

"He's back that way." Sabine pointed down the hallway from where they had come. "He's in trouble, Kanan."

"What kind of trouble?"

Ezra explained. "It's Vader. He's here."

Maul's eyes flashed. He looked beyond Ezra, but neither Vader nor Kenobi were in sight. They were far away.

"We have to help him," Ezra said.

Maul shook his head. "No."

"What do you mean no?"

"They boy is our first priority. Kenobi can hold his own for now."

Ezra and Kanan shared a look. During their moment of indecision, Leia stepped forward. "Come on! Let's go!"

She clapped her hands and took off in the direction where she instinctively knew Luke to be. The group behind her didn't follow right away, perhaps surprised by her initiative. Kanan called out to her.

"Princess, wait!"

Leia reached the bend in the hall and was startled to see a half dozen stormtroopers rushing toward her. There was a flash of red, and suddenly Maul was in front of her. Wielding his double-bladed lightsaber, the Zabrak deflected the bolts directed at her before charging the advancing formation. Leia watched in awe as Maul cut the stormtroopers down with brutal precision and force.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up dazedly to see Kanan at her side. The Jedi placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I… yeah. Fine."

"Don't take off like that," Kanan said. "Stay with Ezra and me. We'll protect you."

Leia looked up at Maul. The Zabrak had deactivated his lightsaber and was giving her a curious look.

"You can lead us to the boy?" he asked.

Leia nodded. "I know where he is."

Maul's eyes narrowed further still. He took a step toward her and Leia gulped. "Lead the way, Your Highness."

She glanced at Kanan. He seemed to understand her anxiety and he gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Follow the Force," he told her.

Leia furrowed her brow at this instruction. Was that what she had been doing? She had merely been acting on instinct up until now.

"He's close," she said. Once again, she couldn't explain how she knew this. She just did.

Maul stepped aside as Leia began to walk – tentatively at first before quickening her pace. She started to jog, and Leia grabbed the skirt of her dress to give her greater mobility. With each step, she began to grow more and more excited. Luke was close! Finally, they were going to be reunited!

Wait, what? Reunited? She'd never met him before!

So why did it feel as if she knew everything about him?

After ten minutes, she came to an abrupt halt. She held out a hand to stop the procession behind her. Closing her eyes, Leia contemplated her feelings.

"This is it," she said.

"Where?" Maul asked.

"Down the hall on the left."

"Let's go."

"No, wait." She stopped Maul just before he stepped out into the hallway. "There's stormtroopers. A whole bunch of them."

"How do you know?"

"I… I just do."

She heard Ezra speak from somewhere behind her. "Vader must have stationed them outside Luke's cell. He knew we were coming for him."

"We can lure them away," Kanan said. "Sabine, Zeb. You go with Maul and get their attention. Ezra and I will deal with the rest."

"I don't think so, Jarrus. I am getting the boy."

"He doesn't know you," Kanan said.

"Yeah, and you'll scare him," Ezra added.

"No I won't!"

"This isn't a debate," Kanan said with authority. "We'll meet up with you back at the hangar. Han you go too and get the ship ready to leave."

Maul hesitated for a few moments before folding. "Fine," he grumbled. Drawing his lightsaber, Maul stepped out into the hall. Sabine, Zeb, and Han followed him with blasters raised, the former shouting out a greeting to their foes.

"Hey! Bucketheads!"

"Rebels! Blast them!"

Maul deflected a few bolts before turning to run after the trio who were taunting the pursuing stormtroopers. Kanan held out an arm, instructing her and Ezra to wait until the coast was clear.

"Alright, let's go."

"There still a few left," Leia warned him.

Kanan gave her a look. He seemed to be impressed. "You have attuned sight, Princess."

Leia frowned. "I'm not seeing them."

"Neither am I."

Kanan opened his eyes to reveal a milky white film covering his pupils. He winked and gave her a half-smile.

"There is more than one type of sight."

With this, the Jedi leapt out from behind the wall and charged the remaining sentries. Ezra was quick to follow, but his assistance proved unnecessary. Kanan felled the remaining stormtroopers with apparent ease.

"We'll stay here and keep look out," he said to her.

Leia stepped into the hallway and suddenly felt a twinge of uncertainty. She looked at the cell door and felt her mouth go dry. She was about to ask Ezra to accompany her when a blaster bolt whizzed by.

"Go!" Kanan yelled.

Dispelling her diffidence, Leia rushed toward the cell door while Kanan and Erza covered her. There was an orange button on the wall and Leia mashed it with her fist. The door to the cell opened vertically and she hurried inside.

He was curled up on a black bench inlaid in the back wall. The boy had shaggy blonde hair and tanned skin. He seemed to be asleep, but the sound of the commotion in the hallway caused him to wake with a start. Their eyes met and Leia felt her heart skip a beat.

"Who are you?"

She blinked once. "Huh? Oh!" Remembering why she was there in the first place, Leia shook her herself back to her senses. "I'm Leia Organa. I'm here to rescue you!"

Luke sat upright, his eyes wide. "You're who?"

"I'm here to rescue you!" She gestured to the open cell door. "I'm here with Ezra Bridger!"

"Ezra?"

"Come on!"

Luke didn't need any more convincing. He jumped to his feet and the two of them ran out of the cell together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Space twins together at last! I've been envisioning this scene for a long time, so it was great to finally write it. Leia rescues Luke this time around! As Darth Maul would say: What fun! So much crazy stuff is going down in the next chapter, I don't even know what to tease! You're just going to have to stay tuned, I guess!


	9. Martyr

Obi-Wan was unable to keep up.

Vader's blade was a blur, each unrelenting blow somehow heavier than the last. Embers flew in every which direction when their lightsabers slashed against the walls of the hall. Obi-Wan retreated with haste, his arms trembling and his breathing labored.

"You are no match for me, Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan couldn't be bothered to come up with a retort. The hallway curved, and he found himself retreating toward a hangar. He could only hope this was the one where their ship was parked.

A brutal overhead strike sent Obi-Wan sprawling. Hitting the ground, he slid away on his rear several feet. Vader approached slowly as he struggled back to his feet.

"Why do you hate me?"

The question gave Obi-Wan pause. He kept his blade raised as he resumed his retreat.

"Hate you?" he echoed.

Vader swung his lightsaber and the two blades crackled against each other, Obi-Wan struggling against his foe's superior strength.

"You want to take everything from me! My limbs, my life! And now my son?"

Obi-Wan grit his teeth, his own blue blade inching closer to his nose as Vader leaned into him. Just as he saw double, Obi-Wan pulled away and Vader staggered forward a step. He tried to take advantage, swinging at the black pauldron protecting his shoulder, but Vader was quick to recover. Their blades met again, and Obi-Wan was on the defensive once more.

"You won't… take him," he panted.

"He belongs to me!"

The walls suddenly widened and Obi-Wan found himself back in the hangar. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, he saw the familiar shape of Solo's freighter. He had made it! Where was Maul and Jarrus? Had they rescued the boy? Were they back yet?

"I will kill you, Kenobi."

Vader ceased his offensive for a moment, and Obi-Wan heard the sound of his respirator whining. It seemed he too was tiring.

"I'd love to see you try, Darth."

Before Vader could react, Obi-Wan thrust out his hand and pushed him away with the Force. Without seeing what happened to him, he turned to run toward the freighter, hoping against hope that his companions were already on board.

"Kenobi!"

The air was expelled from his lungs and he felt as if he had just ran into a brick wall. He collapsed to the ground, his lightsaber falling from his hand and skidding out of sight. Gasping for breath, he flipped around to see Vader approach, his gauntleted hand extended. He pinched his fingers together, and Obi-Wan felt his throat constrict as he was suddenly lifted to his feet. His toes skimmed the ground as he flailed his legs in terror.

"I will have my revenge."

His time had come. Closing his eyes, he allowed his limbs to still and his mind to clear. Resounding calm came over him in an instant. The Force was his ally, his vindication.

Vader raised his lightsaber to deliver the final blow.

Δ Δ Δ

The deafening sound of blaster fire reverberated loudly in the narrow hall. Luke wanted to hold his hands to his ears, but the girl at his side was grabbing onto his arm as they pressed their backs against the wall. He turned to get a good look at her. She looked to be about his age, although she was much shorter. In spite of their perilous predicament, Luke couldn't help but notice that she was quite pretty. She had pale skin, rosy cheeks, and rich brown hair which was styled into two circular buns on either side of her head. He found himself fascinated by the coiffure. How ever did she get it to stay up like that?

"Luke! Hey Luke!"

He looked away sharply at the voice. Giving him a lopsided smile from the opposite wall was a familiar face.

"Ezra!"

"Glad you could make it!" Ezra peered down the hallway where a fusillade of blaster bolts were still whizzing by. "If you'll excuse me." He jumped out from his hiding spot and activated his green blade. Rushing forward, the young Jedi deflected several bolts before disappearing out of sight.

"Where's he going?" Luke asked.

The blaster fire died down all of a sudden and Leia poked her head out.

"Probably after Kanan," she said. "Come on!"

She tugged him by the arm and Luke had no choice but to follow. They ran a few dozen meters before arriving in an octagonal area which seemed to be the headquarters of the detention center. Kanan and Ezra were standing in the center of the room with their respective blue and green lightsabers raised.

"Kanan?" Luke frowned. "Why are you wearing stormtrooper armor?"

Kanan turned to his voice. "Luke! There you are. You're okay?"

Luke nodded before remembering Kanan couldn't see him. "I'm good," he said, only partially disingenuous.

"Alright, let's get going then."

Leia had yet to release his arm, but Luke found that he didn't mind. She guided him through the room, her grip tightening when they stepped over the various stormtroopers bodies strewn about the premises. He felt a bit sick to his stomach at the gory sight.

They proceeded onward for several minutes without encountering a soul. The halls seemed to be empty. Feeling bold, Luke decided to tempt fate.

"Where are all the stormtroopers?"

It seemed his question hadn't jinxed them after all. They came to a stop at an intersection and all looked around.

"That is odd," Kanan mused.

"You'd think they'd be on to us by now," Ezra said.

To his left he felt Leia stiffen. He looked down at her with a frown. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She met his gaze. "Do you feel that?"

Luke was about to ask what she meant when he froze. He felt very cold all of a sudden.

"Luke? Leia? What's wrong?"

They turned to Kanan. "I don't know," Leia told him. "Let's just get back to the hangar."

Ezra led the way down one of the corridors. Luke hoped he knew where he was going, but he got the sense he was merely taking off at random. They ran for another minute before their luck ran out. The clamor of approaching footsteps had Luke jumping for cover, Leia still latched to his wing.

"Lower your weapons! We have you surrounded."

Ezra and Kanan looked at each other. They had reached a trifurcation, and each path save for the one from which they had come was blocked by stormtroopers. It seemed they had reached the end of the road now.

A guttural scream startled him, and he practically hugged Leia in fright. Leaping into the fray from behind one of the formations of stormtroopers was a shadowy figure. He wore a cloak and wielded a red lightsaber with two menacing blades. Propelling himself into the air with impeccable grace, the mysterious man contorted his body and slashed his weapon through the breastplates of two unsuspecting stormtroopers.

The hall exploded in blaster fire. Ezra and Kanan rushed forward to help, but there wasn't much for them to do. The stormtroopers were felled within a matter of seconds, either by the vicious red blades or by blaster fire from three gunmen from the opposite hall. Luke squinted at them and recognized the stocky frame of Zeb, but he didn't know who the other two were.

"You have the boy?"

Their saber-wielding savior removed his hood and Luke jerked with shock. He knew this man! He was the one who tried to kill Ben Kenobi back on Tatooine!

"We've got him," Kanan said.

What was going on? Why were they working together?

"Come on," Ezra beckoned.

Luke hesitated, but Leia gave him a tug. "It's okay," she told him. "Maul's with us."

"Is he really?" Luke asked under his breath.

They came to a stop next to Ezra. Maul's yellow eyes darted back and forth as he inspected both him and Leia.

"Curious," he said.

"The hangar's close," said a young woman whom Luke didn't recognize. She had bronzed skin and bright green and white hair.

"Any news from Master Kenobi?" Kanan asked.

"None," Zeb said.

Maul made a sardonic sound. "He has his hands full with Vader."

"Vader?" Luke echoed.

"What is it, Luke?" Leia asked.

"He's fighting Ben?"

"If by Ben you mean Kenobi, then yes," Maul answered.

"Why?"

Maul's brow twitched. "Those two have quite the history," he said dryly.

"How about we move now, talk later," said the man behind Maul. Luke gave him a quick look over. He seemed to be about Kanan's age and he was also wearing stormtrooper armor, but that was just about where the similarities ended. This was a man who wanted to run rather than fight.

"A good idea, Han," Kanan said. "Let's move."

With his lightsaber raised, Kanan led the way. Maul spared one last curious look for him and Leia before following after the Jedi.

"He gives me the creeps," Luke whispered to Leia.

"Me too," she said. "Come on, let's go."

They hurried after the group, Leia trailing a half step behind him because of her shorter strides. Their arms were linked but Luke didn't even contemplate letting her go. In more way than one, he suddenly realized, they were bonded. He didn't get a chance to consider this further because they caught up to the rest who had abruptly stopped.

"What is it? Why'd we stop?" Luke asked, a bit out of breath. Before anyone could answer, he and Leia both winced. It was that same sensation from earlier but magnified a hundred fold. Something terrible was about to happen.

"Vader," Leia said.

It was then that Luke saw the scene unfolding in front of them. Across the hangar bay, Ben Kenobi was suspended a foot in the air, his eyes closed and his features remarkably relaxed. Approaching slowly with a red lightsaber in hand was Vader.

"We have to help him!" Ezra hissed.

The problem with that was the several dozen stormtroopers in between them and the one-sided duel. There was no way they could get through them all in time. And so they all watched in horror as Vader raised his blade to deliver the mortal blow.

"No."

Maul suddenly rushed forward. Kanan tried to stop him, but he was too late. The Zabrak burst out of the hallway and thrust out his hands.

"No!" he screamed.

A shuttle was lifted into the air and thrown across the length of the hangar. The stormtroopers in the vessel's path were crushed while the rest scattered. Vader, with his attention dedicated to Ben, was unable to react in time. He held his hands out just before the shuttle crashed into him full on and carried him away several dozen feet to the back wall with a deafening smash.

An exhausted Maul fell to his knees in unison with Ben who seemed confounded by what had just transpired. The remaining stormtroopers closed in on the both of them and opened fire. Whereas Ben quickly summoned his discarded lightsaber and began fighting off the barrage, Maul did nothing to defend himself. Blaster bolts struck his shoulder and abdomen before Kanan and Ezra rushed to his aid.

"The _Falcon's_ right over there. We can make it if we run."

"We're not leaving without Ezra and Kanan."

"I didn't say we would. But we've got to get to the ship ourselves."

Luke drowned out the conversation. He was staring at the wreckage across the hangar. A fire had started and the debris was now engulfed in flames. Luke took a step forward when a voice called out to him.

_Luke._

Leia pulled him back to reality. "Luke, what are you doing?" she hissed.

"I…"

_Help me._

"I have to go."

He wrenched himself free of Leia's grasp and took off running. She called after him, voice ringing loudly in spite of the colossal noise.

"Luke! Come back!"

Yet another voice called him forward with equal vigor, with equal desperation.

_Luke. Help me._

He was in a full sprint, barely registering the bolts sailing over his head. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Ben turn to watch him run past.

"Luke!" he called out. "Stop!"

He ignored him. Luke acted on pure instinct. Sliding on the slick floor, he threw his hands out like Maul had done. The burning rubble parted before him to reveal the mangled body of the man he intended to save. His back was pressed against the wall and his masked head was limp against his chest. A jagged shard protruded from his pelvis, a pool of blood stretching languidly at his feet.

Luke got down at his side. He grabbed him by the helmet and pushed his head back up. The respirator was wheezing and labored, but at least it was still operating. Luke placed a hand on his breast plate, the metal half-melted away by the flames.

"Luke!"

He looked up to see Leia rushing toward him. She evidently had followed him across the hangar.

"Help me get him to the ship," Luke said.

When she saw to whom he was tending, Leia stopped. Her expression was one of skepticism and contempt.

"Leia. Please."

She didn't hesitate. Stepping over the pool of blood with a grimace, she leaned down to grab Vader's right shoulder. Luke did the same with his left and the pair lifted him. Or they tried, that is.

"Wow, he's heavy," he grunted.

"We can drag him," Leia said.

It wasn't elegant, but they did what they could. With heavy footsteps, the pair pulled the broken man out of the wreckage.

Δ Δ Δ

The world ceased to make sense. In one moment, Obi-Wan had been preparing to die, and in the next he was back on his feet with his lightsaber in hand. While he hadn't seen it happen, he figured what had happened.

Maul had saved him.

What had made him do that? Maul wanted him dead! Was it as simple as he didn't want Vader to have the honor of being the one to kill him? Obi-Wan didn't think so. One didn't go to such extreme lengths for something as superficial as spite.

His confusion had been compounded further still into full out bewilderment when he saw Anakin's son rushing across the hangar toward the wreckage. What was he doing?

"Luke! Stop!"

He acted as if he hadn't heard. With singular intent, the boy slashed his hands and dispersed the debris. Obi-Wan's eyes widened. When had he learned to do that? Had Jarrus taught him? Surely not.

Just then, the princess pelted after Luke. A stunned Obi-Wan merely watched as Anakin's children came to his aid. Why were they doing this? Why were they helping him?

A battle continued to rage around him as he contemplated these baffling developments. Obi-Wan acted on autopilot, his blade deflecting bolts with such speed and grace he might as well have been back in the Clone Wars. He suddenly felt so very light. It seemed his brush with death had livened him, as oxymoronic as that might seem. Pressing forward, Obi-Wan defeated his foes with precise slashes of his saber and a thrust of his hand which sent a half dozen flying into the wall. And just like that, it was all over. The hangar was silent save for the powerful beating of his heart, like a snare drum applauding a victorious battle.

"Master Kenobi!"

It was Bridger's voice coming from across the bay. He turned to it and saw him and Jarrus at Maul's side, the Sith on his knees with a hand over his abdomen. Obi-Wan rushed forward.

"What happened?"

"He's hurt," Jarrus answered grimly.

Maul looked up to meet Obi-Wan's gaze. His teeth bared, but there was no malice to be found. He was in pain, but it seemed like for once it was of only the physical kind.

"You have to go," he said.

"Without you?" Obi-Wan said. "Don't be ridiculous."

Maul shook his head. Accepting Jarrus' proffered hand, he struggled to his feet. "You won't make it otherwise."

"What are you talking about?"

Maul shut his eyes tight and growled. "It's him. He's here."

Only then did Obi-Wan sense it. The darkness was approaching, but this time it was nothing like Vader. Whereas his presence had been overwhelming in its impassioned fury, this one was more subdued but no less terrible. It was a creeping cold, subtle yet sinister. An insidious evil.

"Go. I will hold him off."

"You don't stand a chance."

Maul shoved Jarrus away and took a labored step toward him.

"I'll help you –" Obi-Wan began to say, but Maul cut him off.

"Obi-Wan."

He froze. When had Maul ever called him that?

"Train them both," he said. "They will avenge us."

He extended a hand and Obi-Wan stared at it with wide eyes. For a moment, he hesitated, but then his expression sobered. He bridged the gap and shook Maul's hand.

"I will."

The blast doors to the hangar bay opened and Maul pushed Obi-Wan out of the way.

"Go!" he commanded.

A row of stormtroopers parted to reveal the Emperor himself. The decrepit man was wearing a black cape and cowl which covered his features save for an ugly sneer. At his side was a blue-skinned man in military garb, along with several red-robed Royal Guards.

"Master Kenobi, let's go."

He turned around to see Jarrus beckoning him. Bridger had already taken off toward the freighter where he saw Luke and Leia dragging Vader's body up the ramp. Chewbacca emerged from the open hatch to assist them the rest of the way.

"Master!"

Obi-Wan was unable to move, his head on a swivel as he looked back and forth between the _Falcon_ and Maul. The latter was standing tall with his lightsaber extended. The procession came to a stop when the Emperor held up his hand. He spoke and his voice was vicious and caustic.

"Maul."

Former master and apprentice stared at one another with parallel expressions of acrimony. Maul's reply was low and barely audible.

"Master."

Darth Sidious glanced behind Maul to see him. Obi-Wan met the monster's gaze, his hand inching to the lightsaber at his belt.

"Master Kenobi! Obi-Wan!"

It was Leia. The girl was standing atop the ramp pleading for him to run. Her voice was panicked and her expression even more so.

She didn't want him to die.

Neither did he.

"You will pay for your lack of vision."

He looked away from the freighter to see Maul sprint toward the Emperor. The stormtroopers all raised their blasters, but they did not fire. Instead, it was Sidious who unleashed a wave of lightning which threw Maul to the ground.

_Obi-Wan. Run._

Maul staggered back to his feet. He took a few beleaguered steps before Sidious struck him with yet another burst of lightning.

_Run!_

He obeyed. With one last look for the martyr, Obi-Wan spun on his heel and took off running toward the freighter. It took him just a dozen strides before he was on board. Leia jumped out of his way and yelled down the hall.

"He's here! Go!"

The ramp retracted and the freighter lifted into the air. Just before the hatch sealed itself, Obi-Wan watched the Emperor pick up Maul's own lightsaber, its owner broken and defeated.

He didn't see what happened next, but the ripple in the Force confirmed it for him.

Darth Maul was dead.

"Are you alright?"

He turned to his left to see young Leia looking at him with concern. He was too stunned to speak, so he merely placed a hand on her shoulder.

In spite of his shock, he felt something blossom in his core. Warmth spread throughout his body and a small smile graced his lips. He had not felt this in nearly two decades, and it was because of Maul that he finally found it again.

Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you didn't see that coming, did you? RIP Maul. I love how they dealt with his demise in Rebels, don't get me wrong, but there's something powerful about Maul facing off against the man who ruined his life to save the life of the man whom he thought ruined his life. For those of you who are sad that there will no longer be anymore Obi-Maul banter in the chapters ahead, I feel your pain. They were so much fun to write, so it was hard for me to say goodbye to Maul. Rest assured, his death will have a big impact on Obi-Wan and on the rest of the story. Thank you all for reading! Until next time.


	10. Save Him

The freighter lurched when it took off from the hangar bay. Obi-Wan staggered back a step while Leia grabbed his sleeve to keep balance.

"Come on," he said to the girl. His voice sounded a bit hoarse. "Let's see what our friends are up to."

They arrived in the main hold to find a chaotic scene. Captain Solo was barking out orders from the hallway.

"You two! Get to the turrets! We're not going to get far if those TIEs catch up to us!"

The Lasat and the Mandalorian girl took off without objection, pushing past him and Leia on their way out. Satisfied, Han craned his head to yell down the hallway. "Chewie, get ready for a jump!"

"Wait a minute, Captain," Obi-Wan said.

"What?"

"Where are you taking us?"

"Back to Yavin 4."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "That won't do. The Empire might track our trajectory."

Han frowned. "Then where?"

The sound of a respirator gave him pause. He looked away from the captain to see Vader's mangled form sprawled out on the bench. At his side was young Luke, his expression grim as he pressed his hands to a wound to the man's pelvis. A jagged shard of metal glinting with blood was discarded on the ground by his feet.

Han snapped his fingers, and Obi-Wan looked back sharply. "Hey! I need coordinates!"

"Yes," Obi-Wan hummed. "I…" He turned back to Vader. The man wasn't going to make it if he didn't receive medical attention. But why should that matter? He was his enemy, wasn't he?

Obi-Wan wasn't sure he knew what that meant anymore.

"I have coordinates for you, Captain," he said.

Obi-Wan followed Han to the cockpit. There he provided Chewbacca with the coordinates which he had long since memorized.

"M-19 sector? That's Outer Rim, isn't it?"

"Quite right, Captain."

"What system?"

"A safe one."

That was all he chose to disclose. Turning away from the disgruntled pilot, Obi-Wan made his way back to the main hold. He felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach when he saw Leia joining Luke by Vader's side.

"You need to find a bandage for that," she told him.

"Do you see one around?" Luke snapped. The boy was irritable, and Obi-Wan realized it was because he was scared. He didn't want Vader to die. Why did he care? Did he not know who this man was? The things he had done?

"Kanan, could you see about finding a med kit?" Obi-Wan requested.

"Sure thing. Come on Ezra."

Kanan and his Padawan exited the main hold and Obi-Wan was left alone with the three Skywalkers. He watched them from the opposite end of the cabin. He was only a few meters away, but if felt as if he was looking at them through a pair of binoculars. Luke's trembling hands were painted red with blood while Vader's breathing apparatus continued to whine, the pathetic sound especially loud now that the commotion had died down.

"Master, is there anything you can do?"

Leia was giving him a pleading look. She saw him as some sort of hero or magician. He could fix anything with his Jedi powers.

If only.

"I don't think –" he said, but the boy cut him off.

"Please, Ben?"

The desperation in Luke's voice made him bite his tongue. His gaze drifted from the boy to his father.

"I will do what I can," he said cautiously.

Luke scrambled aside, his eyes shining with hope. Obi-Wan hesitated. He didn't want to approach. More than anything, he wanted to run away from this terrible man. This monster who had ruined everything.

This confused boy he had let down.

He took two brisk strides toward the bench. Preferring not to sit down, Obi-Wan spread his hand on the checkered table and leaned forward. Vader didn't react to his presence. He was mercifully unconscious.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reached out to touch Vader's Force presence. Darkness, pain, and misery swirled around like a tempest. There was nothing for Obi-Wan to heal. Anakin was too far gone, consumed by Vader.

But he had to try. Standing back upright, Obi-Wan took a steadying breath. He sat down gingerly on the bench. Making sure to keep his distance from Vader's sprawling limbs, he extended a tentative hand. Planting it lightly atop the gruesome wound to his pelvis, he felt a gush of sticky blood coat his fingers. He swallowed hard. Nausea roiled in his stomach, but Obi-Wan persisted. He pressed his hand more firmly to the wound and the blood ceased trickling out from underneath his touch.

"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me."

He whispered the mantra over and over. His training in the art of healing was limited. Such was the consequence of the Clone Wars. Jedi Masters had been expected to refine their combat abilities rather than explore other realms of the Force. It had caused him discomfort at the time; He had only ever been trained to hurt but never to heal.

What he could do was alleviate Vader's pain. It would hardly prevent him from bleeding to death, but it did soothe his conscience. At least he had done something. The churning darkness surrounding Vader did not abate, but it tempered a fraction. Still, Obi-Wan could scarcely recognize the man before him. He had been irreparably corrupted.

Right?

"Master Kenobi, I found –"

"Shh! He's focusing!"

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. His lids were heavy and his outstretched arm felt hollow. The act of relieving Vader's pain had taken a toll on him.

"It's alright, Luke," he said wearily. "I am finished."

"Are you alright, Master Kenobi?"

It was Jarrus' voice. Obi-Wan turned to it sluggishly. Through hazy vision, he saw Jarrus holding what he hoped was a med kit.

"Ah," he said, his voice sounding slurred. "Well done, Kanan."

He stood up from the bench and instantly felt his legs give out. Body gone limp and eyes rolling to the back of his skull, Obi-Wan lost consciousness long before he hit the ground.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke was on the floor with his knees tucked into his chest. Leia was seated next to him with her legs crossed and her face in her hands. She had scarcely left his side over the past hour, and while Luke was still in a bad mood, he was grateful for her support.

"There. That should do for now."

Kanan was tending to Vader, using the supplies he had found in the med kit. There wasn't much to work with, just a roll of gauze and some antibiotic ointment. Luke knew it wasn't enough. Vader needed serious medical attention.

Yet nobody seemed too concerned. On the contrary, they were downright dumbfounded that Luke had any interest in tending to Vader at all.

"So why are we trying to help him?" a skeptical Ezra had asked. "Not to sound mean, but we would all be better off if he was dead."

Luke had snapped at him. "Shut up, Ezra!"

Kanan intervened before tensions could boil over. He offered to do what he could to help Vader, but Luke knew he was only doing it to placate him. While he wouldn't say it, Kanan clearly agreed with Ezra. They all did, save for Leia. She alone had expressed a modicum of sympathy toward Luke's position, if not for Vader himself.

"How's it goin' back here?"

Luke looked up to see the captain saunter into the main hold, his thumbs hooked to the belt-loops of his suede pants. His name was Han. Leia had told him.

"Not much," Kanan muttered. The girl whom he now knew as Sabine sighed loudly.

"I heard a crash an hour ago."

"That was Master Kenobi," Kanan said. "He took a fall."

Han arched a brow. "The old man alright?"

"He's fine," Ezra answered. He was leaning against the opposite wall next to Sabine, as far away from Luke as the cabin would permit. "Zeb and I brought him to the room across from the galley. Is that okay?"

"Sure, kid."

The group fell into a somber silence. Everyone's eyes naturally gravitated to Vader. The hulking man was propped up against the bench with his helmeted head canted over against his shoulder. A thick layering of gauze was wrapped inelegantly around his torso. Kanan had used the whole roll, but blood had quickly seeped through the makeshift bandage.

"Any of you guys know where Kenobi is taking us?" Han asked.

Kanan and Ezra both shrugged. "He didn't say anything to us," the former said.

Han crossed his arms and blew out an angry breath. "Well wherever it is, we'll be there soon."

Another silence, this time shorter than the last. "I need to contact the Rebel Base," Kanan said to Han. "Is there somewhere I can do that in private?"

"Sure thing," Han said. "Follow me."

"Kanan –"

"You stay here," Kanan said to Ezra. His voice was stern. "I'm going to tell Hera everything."

Ezra bowed his head. "Even the part about the _Phantom_?"

"Especially the part about the _Phantom._ "

Ezra and Sabine shared a guilty look. "That wasn't our fault," the girl said. "Maul did that, not us."

"Hera won't care," Ezra said glumly.

Kanan gave them a disapproving shake of his head before following Han out of the main hold. With his mediating presence gone, Luke felt the tension between him and Ezra return. The boys purposefully avoided each other's eyes, Luke electing to stare at Vader while Ezra craned his head to the ceiling.

"Luke?"

He felt Leia place a hand on his elbow. Turning toward her, he saw the compassion in her eyes. She understood him better than Ezra, better than anyone. How could that be? They hardly knew each other.

"Why did you save Vader?"

Luke tensed, but there was no accusation in the question. She just wanted to know. He took a breath and looked away to see Ezra watching him.

"He asked for help," Luke said.

"He did?"

"Yeah, he did."

Luke stood up. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he approached the checkered table.

"I think he's confused."

"Confused?" Leia echoed.

Luke cocked his head to the side as he considered. "I don't know why, but we're… connected."

"What do you mean?"

"I asked for him to help me when they –" He stopped abruptly, his throat constricting at the memory. His skin prickled with residual pain. The drugs had long since left his system, but somehow they continued to afflict him.

Leia stood up. "When they did what?"

He set his jaw and shook his head. "He came when I asked," he said, voice gruff. "But he didn't help me."

"He didn't?"

Luke began to grow angry. He spun away from Vader to find Leia staring back at him with a sympathetic expression. She knew what had happened to him.

"Maybe I shouldn't have helped him. Maybe I am an idiot for believing in him." He shot Ezra a look, his lower lip trembling. "But I did it and I'm not going to change my mind now. You understand?"

Ezra didn't seem to know how to respond, so it was Leia who spoke for him. "We do, Luke. We understand."

Luke returned his gaze to her. He pointed a finger at Ezra. "He doesn't. He thinks I'm an idiot."

"Don't say that, Luke."

His face felt warm. Sabine and Zeb looked at him with cold eyes, their faces stolid with condescension. Ezra refused to look at him directly, but Luke knew he was judging him as well. They were battle-hardened veterans. He was a kid, nothing more.

"I'm not an idiot," he said. His voice was high and frail. Pathetic. Weak.

"Luke –"

He fled from Leia's compassion. Passing the Spectre crew, he stormed down the hallway – eyes blurred with tears and heart heavy with contempt; for Vader, for Ezra, for himself.

Idiot.

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan's head hurt. He tried to place a hand to his forehead, but he felt something resisting his arm. Opening his eyes, he groaned when a shock of light hit his dilated retinas.

"Master Kenobi?"

A shadowy figure was standing at his bedside. "Huh?" he grunted.

"Master Kenobi, we need your help."

He flopped his head back down onto the pillow. They always needed his help, didn't they? "Mmm," he hummed. "Be there… soon." Closing his eyes, he began to drift back to sleep. He heard retreating footsteps and he smiled to himself in triumph. See? They must not have really needed him, after all. Surely they could manage for a few –

A cup-full of frigid water splashed against his face and Obi-Wan jerked awake. "Sithspit!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry, Master, but we really need your help."

His head felt like it was splitting in two. Pressing his palms to his temples, he blinked twice to see Leia with an empty glass and an apologetic expression. He bit back any further expletives he would have been more than willing to hurl upon someone else. Bridger would have been ideal. If anyone deserved a good castigation, it was that boy.

Instead he bleated: "Very well, Leia."

Swinging his legs off the bunk, he took a few moments for the dizziness to abate. The pounding inside his skull was still brutal, but pain was something Obi-Wan had long since learned to manage. Leia backed away when he stood up.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Never better," he said with a grimace. "How may I be of assistance?"

Leia led him down the hallway toward the cockpit. "We've arrived in the system," she informed him. "Captain Solo is in a bit of a mood."

"Isn't he always," Obi-Wan muttered.

They passed through the bulkhead to find a cramped cockpit. Everyone seemed to be here save for Luke and Kanan.

"I got him," Leia announced.

There was a great deal of commotion as the Lasat attempted to get out of his way. "Ow!" the Mandalorian girl yelped when he stepped on her foot. "Watch it, Zeb!"

"You know you don't have to be here," Han growled. "In fact, I'd rather you weren't. Having twenty people hovering over me is a bit much."

"Twenty?" Bridger echoed. "There's only five of us."

"It's called hyperbole, kid."

"The captain is right," Obi-Wan interjected. "Some space would be appreciated." The young Rebels blinked at him with mixed expressions of confusion and betrayal. Obi-Wan sighed. "Please?"

Bridger grumbled something under his breath and trudged out of the cockpit. His companions followed after him reluctantly.

"Thanks," Han said when they were gone.

"What about you, Princess?"

He turned to give her a look. Leia's posture was defiant with her hands on her hips. Obi-Wan smiled at the sight. He had a flashback to his exasperated master attempting to compromise with Naboo's young queen. Padmé had been quite pugnacious, and her daughter seemed to have inherited the trait.

"Very well," he said. "You may stay, Princess."

Leia seemed to be surprised, but she took it in stride. "Good," she said with the air of someone used to having things go her way.

"Where is Luke?" Obi-Wan asked.

Leia turned a bit blue. "Not sure. He was really upset."

"What about?"

Han cut off Leia's answer. "Mind having this little chat sometime else? I'd rather not keep wasting fuel like this."

The Princess gave him a sour look, but Obi-Wan intervened before she could snap at him. "Apologies, Captain. What do you need from me?"

"Do we have a place to land or what?"

Looking out the viewport, Obi-Wan saw a mottled green and blue orb looming in the distance. Han had cut the engines and the freighter was drifting along at a leisurely pace.

"I'm afraid not, Captain. This planet is safe, but that is all I know."

"I'm not detecting any large settlements," Han said. "The place is teeming with life forms, though. I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "You have nothing to fear here."

"In my experience, the places where you have nothing to fear tend to be the places where you have everything to fear."

"Maybe so," Obi-Wan said wryly. "I suggest you make your way to the northern hemisphere, Captain."

"Why?"

"A feeling."

Han snorted, but he didn't offer an objection. "Start scanning for a place to land, Chewie." The captain reassumed manual control over the freighter and began guiding them toward the planet. "So what is this place?" Han asked. "It doesn't appear on any of my star charts."

"That is by design."

"Oh yeah?"

"This is the last refuge of the Jedi Order, although perhaps that is too grand a designation."

Han didn't seem to know what to say to this, so it was Leia who asked him to clarify. "What do you mean?"

"This is where Grand Master Yoda went into exile. He will be able to help us."

"And Vader? Can he help him too?"

Obi-Wan gave her a long look. "Should he choose to do so," he said gravely. The girl pursed her lips and looked away out the viewport. Obi-Wan followed her example and saw Dagobah growing in size as the freighter approached.

"He has to save him," Leia said. "You need to convince him to help Vader."

"Do I?"

"Luke would be devastated if he died. He's been through so much as it is. Please, Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I will try." His lips twitched, the Grand Master's famous aphorism clear in his mind. "No," he amended. "I will _do._ "

What he could.

And what he must.

Δ Δ Δ

They landed rather inelegantly atop some dense foliage which crunched loudly when the freighter touched down on the planet's surface. Everyone seemed to have something to do but Leia. The Spectres were helping Han and Chewbacca bushwhack through the jungle to find a water source while Kenobi had cleared a little area for himself at the bottom of the ramp to meditate. She didn't know why he was doing this, but she wasn't about to interrupt him. Whatever his reason, it was probably important.

So Leia was left alone in the main hold with Vader. She stood as far away from him as she could, feeling quite tense as she observed him. An irrational part of her feared him waking up and hurting her somehow. She knew he wouldn't – frankly, she wouldn't be surprised if he never woke again – but Vader was fearsome nonetheless. Yet Luke didn't see him in that way. He was sympathetic toward him, so much so that he had been willing to risk his life for him. Why?

Better yet, why had _she_ been willing to risk her own life for him? When Luke had rushed into the hangar bay to rescue Vader, Leia hadn't hesitated to bolt after him. She had been so afraid to see him leave her side. Panicked, even. She didn't want to lose him after having only just found him.

They were connected to each other in a deep, indescribable way. Leia felt his pain as if it were her own. She knew what had happened to him on the _Chimaera_. It made her hate the Empire all the more, if that was even possible. How dare they harm him! She would make this right. She didn't know how, but she would find a way.

In the meantime, Leia needed to make sure Luke was alright. She had elected to give him some space after he stormed away from the main hold. He had practically been in tears. Now she figured it had been long enough. Grateful for an excuse to escape Vader's oppressive company, Leia left the main hold in the direction Luke had gone. The hall curved and she found herself in a dark part of the ship. There were a dozen or so crates stacked up against the back wall by some dented storage lockers. The air was dusty and there was an unpleasant stench of mildew.

"Luke?" she called out.

She received no response, but somehow she knew he was here. Kanan had called it attuned sight. Was that the Force? If so, what did that even mean?

Taking a step forward, Leia realized that the room extended onward to her right. When she turned, she saw a complicated array of pipes and trusses snaking about three heavy brass cylinders which were bolted to the ground. Following one such cylinder from the top down, Leia found Luke seated at its base with his knees tucked into his chest. His nimble fingers fiddled with a jumble of wires protruding from an open panel.

"What are you doing?"

He looked up with a start, his hands darting away from the wires as if he feared being caught. "Oh, Leia. Hi."

Luke looked a bit pink. Perhaps he was embarrassed about earlier. Lucky for him, Leia didn't care about that.

"What are you doing?" she asked again.

He returned his attention to the wiring. "I was just, um… experimenting."

"With what?"

Leia took a few steps forward and sat down next to him. Luke gave her a sideways glance before answering. "I thought I could increase the energy throughput of these power converters." His brows knit together as he leaned forward to take a closer look. "These wires are really frayed," he said to himself.

"How are you feeling?"

He didn't look away, but Leia could tell his mind was no longer on the project in front of him. "I shouldn't have said those things to Ezra."

"He deserved it," Leia said.

Luke shook his head. "No he didn't. I lashed out at him. It wasn't right."

Leia touched his shoulder and Luke turned to meet her gaze. "It's okay to be upset, Luke. After what you went through, nobody's going to blame you. I certainly don't."

The pair stared at each other for a long moment. Luke's eyes darted back and forth, seemingly fascinated by her face. Leia in turn was just as fascinated in him.

"Who are you?" Luke finally asked.

She didn't hesitate. "I'm your friend."

Luke's face lit up and Leia felt herself smiling. She was proud of herself for being able to make him feel better. It wasn't as if she had any experience in this role. True friends were hard to come by as a princess where every conversation had to begin with a bow.

"Thank you, Leia. That… that means a lot." Luke looked down, his expression darkening. "I feel like you're the only real friend I have."

"Why do you say that?"

"Everyone just wants to use me," Luke said bitterly. "I don't even know why. None of it makes any sense to me."

"It doesn't make sense to me either," Leia said. "Master Kenobi said he wants to train me, but he won't explain why."

"Wait a minute, you're Force-sensitive too?"

"I guess," Leia said unconfidently. She recalled Ezra using that terminology before, but she still didn't know what it meant. "I'm just so confused about everything."

"Tell me about it," Luke grumbled. "Kanan tried to teach me, but I had no idea what he was talking about half the time."

Leia nudged him with her elbow. "We can learn together," she said. "It'll be fun!"

Luke didn't share her enthusiasm. "I don't know about that. Nothing about this has been fun."

Leia winced at her lack of consideration. Having fun was the last thing from his mind right now. What had she been thinking? She cleared her throat and attempted a more sober approach.

"I know it's been terrible for you, but I think it all happened for a reason. I think we were meant to be brought together."

"I do too," Luke agreed.

"So let's make the most of it."

They both looked away when they heard voices coming from the main hold. Leia recognized one of them as Ezra's, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

"We should see what's going on," Leia said.

Luke shook his head. "You go ahead."

"Don't be like that, Luke. You can't hide back here forever."

Luke puckered his lips and didn't offer a response. Rather than attempting to convince him, Leia elected to grab him by the arm and pulled him to his feet.

"You're coming with me," she said. Much to her surprise, Luke didn't resist, although he didn't help much either. He was more or less limp. Fearing that he would fall back over if she released him, Leia maintained her grip on him after they were both standing. "Come on," she said, giving him a tug.

"Fine," Luke sighed.

A triumphant Leia dragged her sullen companion back to the main hold. There they found everyone had returned save for Kenobi. He must still be outside meditating. The Spectres all looked a bit worse for wear – their clothes sullied with dirt and their pant legs sodden. She noticed with some amusement that Ezra seemed to have lost a boot.

"How'd it go?" Leia asked with a little smirk.

Ezra looked at her and frowned. "What are you so smug about?" he snapped.

Yikes. Someone was in a bad mood.

"There's something odd about this planet," Kanan said, ignoring this testy exchange.

"More like something terrible," Sabine grumbled. She combed through her highlighted hair and produced a clump of dirt which she threw to the ground with an affronted gasp. "Why did Master Kenobi bring us _here_ of all places?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Kanan said.

"Maybe he wants to kill us," Zeb growled.

"He doesn't want that," Kanan said calmly.

"No, I think he's got a point there," Han said. "The old man must have realized he can't pay me back and decided to dump us here to die."

"Don't be ridiculous," Leia ridiculed.

"Go out there and see it for yourself, Princess," Han barked. "This planet's a hellhole!"

"I'm not going out there!"

"Why not?" Ezra asked.

"In case you didn't notice, this is a very expensive dress."

Ezra and Han both snorted, and Leia felt her face heat with indignation. She was about to tell them both off when she realized Luke was no longer at her side. Glancing to the right, she saw him taking a seat by Vader's side. Everyone in the cabin followed her gaze to watch. There was something fragile about the silence. It was as if everyone feared Luke might crack again.

"He's not going to make it, is he?" he said softly.

It was Kanan who answered. "I'm sorry, Luke."

Just then, there was a sound from the opposite hallway. A shuffling of footsteps accompanied by the occasional tick of something against the ground. Leia looked up to see Master Kenobi enter the main hold with a grim expression. At his side was a tiny green man with pointed ears and a gnarled cane. The stranger scanned the room with weary eyes before settling on Vader.

"Master Yoda!" Ezra gasped.

The sage glanced at the boy and smiled thinly. "Ezra Bridger," he greeted. "To my home, I welcome you." Everyone gave him a wide berth when he took a few labored steps into the room. Luke finally looked away from Vader, and when he met Master Yoda's gaze, the latter came to a stop. "Luke Skywalker," he said.

"How do you know me?" Luke frowned.

Yoda didn't answer. Instead, he did the unexpected and turned to Leia. "Princess Leia."

She and Luke traded nervous looks. There was something unsettling about this. Returning her attention to Yoda, she saw his expression turn stormy when he pointed his eyes to the hulking man before him.

"And Darth Vader," he croaked.

Luke slipped off the bench and took a step toward the Master. "Can you help him?" he asked.

Yoda glanced back at Kenobi who was watching from the hallway, his face half obscured in shadow. "Want this, do you?"

"The choice is yours, Master."

Yoda's clenched down on the root of his cane with a three-fingered hand. His wrinkled forehead was scrunched with conflict.

"Make this decision lightly, I do not."

"Please help him," Luke begged.

Yoda considered Luke before shifting his gaze to her. Leia stiffened at the attention. Why was he looking at her? She had nothing to do with this.

"What say you, Princess?" Yoda asked, pointing a stubby finger in her direction.

Leia swallowed hard. Was it really up to her? She of course wanted to support Luke, but something gave her pause. Did Vader really deserve to live? He hadn't helped Luke when he had the chance. Why should she help him now? Leia took a long look at Vader, her teeth grit with anger.

_Let him die._

She couldn't say that. He might deserve it, but she couldn't do that to Luke. She didn't want him to suffer any more.

"Save him," she said. "I want you to save him."

Yoda bowed his head. He seemed to be pained by her decision.

"So you'll do it?" Luke asked.

"To me, bring him," Yoda requested.

Luke blinked once. He seemed to be confused by Yoda's way of speaking. "Oh! Right." He looked at Vader and hesitated.

"Zeb, would you mind?" Kanan said.

The Lasat clearly _did_ mind, but he didn't say so. He loped forward and Luke scurried out of his way. Leia noticed that Zeb wasn't particularly gentle with Vader when he dragged him off the bench and set him down by Yoda's feet. That bothered her for some reason.

"Difficult, this will be," Yoda said. His voice was heavy and his ears were drooping. "Privacy, I must have."

"You'll be able to save him though, won't you?" Luke asked.

"Have patience, Luke," Kenobi said from the hallway. "Master Yoda will do what he can. For now, we must give him space."

More than happy to oblige, Han pushed past the Jedi Master out of the main hold. The Spectres and Chewbacca followed after him, but Luke didn't move quite yet. He continued to stare at Master Yoda.

"Luke, come on," Leia said. She gave his sleeve a shake. "You heard Master Kenobi."

"I promised I would help him," Luke said to Yoda. "You have to promise me you'll do everything you can to save him."

Yoda's ear twitched. "Easily broken, a promise can be. Empty, words often are."

Luke's mouth twisted, perhaps with disdain. "I don't believe that," he said. When Yoda offered no response, Luke balled his hands into fists and marched away. Leia made to follow him, but she stopped. Yoda was giving her a probing look; Vader strewn at his feet, the sound of the respirator loud in her ears. The question was plain as day: Are you sure this is what you want?

Leia inclined her chin, steadfast in her decision. "Save him," she demanded. With that, Leia hurried after her friend and left the two Masters in her wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter will feature a new character's POV. Can you guess who?


	11. Lessons

The Emperor was seated in Thrawn's chair in his personal office aboard the _Chimaera. His eyes are narrowed and his palms are pressed together firmly in front of his chin. He swivels back and forth in the chair, his expression holding barely suppressed frustration. The muscles lining his throat are tight and his face is taut. A snaking vein can be seen protruding from his temple and a sudden spasm twitches above a heavily lidded eye._

"I am very upset with you, Grand Admiral. Very upset."

Thrawn did not react, his back erect and his expression bland. "The circumstances are unfortunate," he said.

The Emperor's head snapped up. _His eyes flash and his facial heat increases._ "Unfortunate?" he repeated. _His voice is uncharacteristically shrill._ "This is a disaster, and you are responsible!"

"How so?"

"This is your ship! The Rebels got aboard under your watch!"

"That may be so, but their successful infiltration is more likely a result of improper standards of procedure rather than poor leadership or an incompetent officer corps. For example, the protocol to pull suspected derelicts into the hangar bay with the tractor beam rather than sending a reconnaissance shuttle to investigate –"

"Silence!"

Thrawn stopped talking. Unease began to take root in the pit of his stomach.

"You are valuable to me," the Emperor said. "Your tactical cunning is unparalleled." _He spreads his hands on the desk and releases a breath. His voice is calmer, more controlled._ "That said, your track record of late has been disastrous. Don't think I forgot about Atollon."

"My Emperor, if I may –"

"I haven't finished." _His brow furrows and his lips curl at the corners._ "It would be entirely reasonable for me to strip you of your title and reassign the 7th Fleet a new leader." _He pauses, and the silence holds considerable tension._ "But I recognize your worth, Mitth'raw'nuruodo. I would be remiss to cast aside such an important tool."

Thrawn took offense to being called as such, but he was careful not to reveal this. "You are wise, my Emperor," he said.

Palpatine smiled thinly. "I lost my apprentice today. It will be your job to retrieve him."

For once, Thrawn could not contain his reaction. "Pardon?"

"You heard me."

"But my Emperor –"

"You think your services would be best used elsewhere?"

Thrawn set his jaw. "With all due respect, I believe my priority should be tracking down and eliminating Phoenix Squadron before they can regroup and join with other cells."

"Commandar Woldar can assume that responsibility for now," the Emperor dismissed. "Grand Moff Tarkin will also be joining the commander while his new assignment is being prepared for him."

That new assignment to which the Emperor made reference gave Thrawn considerable concern: the Death Star. It posed a grave threat to his people. The Emperor knew of his objection to the project, and it seemed he was giving him an opportunity to speak on it.

"Do you have something to say, my friend?"

Thrawn knew that it would be unwise to speak, so he did not.

"Very well." _The Emperor rises from the chair, his yellowed fingernails digging into the leather of the armrests. He makes a move as if he is going to depart, but stops._ "One last item to discuss."

"Yes?" Thrawn said.

"The TIE Defender program on Lothal."

"What of it, my Emperor?"

"It's scrapped."

Thrawn stared at the Emperor, catatonic in his shock.

"Consider this your final warning," Palpatine threatened.

He pressed a button underneath the desk tray and the office door slid open to reveal two red-robed Royal Guards standing at attention in the hallway. The Emperor perambulated around the desk and stopped to give Thrawn a sideways glare.

"If you fail to return Lord Vader to me…" _A look of virulence passes the Emperor's face as he pauses._ "…the repercussions will be even more severe."

He departed and Thrawn was left standing in the middle of his office. His fingers twitched, the only physical evidence of his tumult. Taking a few deliberate steps toward the desk, he sat down slowly. He leaned back into the padding of the chair and interlaced his fingers in front of his chin. For a long while he deliberated, weighing his options and devising a best course of action.

Finally, the grand admiral pulled out a drawer and produced a datapad. Tapping at the screen with deft fingers, he pulled up the secure server he had set up several months prior. Thrawn then reached into his breast pocket and his fingers found a circular puck.

He stopped. Thrawn wasn't one to second guess himself, but the ramifications of this act warranted exhaustive analysis. Was this the right choice? Was now really the time?

The Emperor no longer trusted him. That much was clear. He had faith in his capabilities, yes, but not in his loyalty. And by scrapping the TIE Defender program he was committing himself to the completion of the Death Star. A superweapon of that magnitude was too great a threat. Thrawn couldn't stand idly by while its construction proceeded.

It was thus with unfaltering resolve that he pulled out the puck and attached it to the connecting port of the datapad. If the Emperor were to learn that this was in his possession, he would no doubt be executed.

Activating the holorecorder on his desk, Thrawn established a broadcast from the camera to his datapad. The message was ready to be transmitted. Thrawn took a breath, glanced at the door, and began to speak.

"Commander Vanto, I require your assistance."

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan leaned against the back wall, his fingers stroking at his chin as he watched closely. Yoda had his hand pressed to Vader's chest, eyes closed and jaw clenched. The Grand Master had been at it for fifteen minutes. Obi-Wan had hoped to learn something by observing, but Yoda revealed no secrets. The art of healing remained frustratingly abstruse to him.

Finally, the Grand Master spoke: "Finished, I am."

Obi-Wan released the breath he had been holding in. "Will he live?"

Yoda's motions were lethargic as he turned away from Vader's still body. "Difficult to tell, that is."

Obi-Wan frowned. That was not an adequate response. He couldn't allow Vader to die under his watch.

"Have something to say, do you?"

A flicker of amusement passed Yoda's face, and for a moment the both of them were lost in a memory of when Qui-Gon Jinn addressed the Council for the first time on the vergence he had discovered on Tatooine.

"Are you sure there is nothing else you can do?"

Yoda didn't reply.

"What about me?"

A triangular ear twitched at this question. "Practiced in the art of healing, you are not," Yoda said.

"But if you were to teach me, could I not be of greater help to –" He stopped himself, remembering that the twins were not far away. "To Vader?" Obi-Wan's gaze turned to the mangled man on the ground. His breathing was slow and his respirator labored, but he could sense that his condition had moderately improved. "We share a bond, Master. I will be better able to reach him than you."

Yoda seemed doubtful. "Long gone, your bond with him is."

"But could it not be reforged?"

An emphatic shake of the head belied the Grand Master's exhaustion. "Consumed by the dark side, he is. Reach him, you cannot."

Obi-Wan sighed. He knew Yoda was right…

Or did he?

"I want to try. Please, Master. What do you have to lose?"

Yoda's expression was pained. "Consider this, I will," he said. "Rest, I now need." He hobbled toward the hallway and left the main hold. Obi-Wan lingered behind, his eyes fixated on Vader's prone figure.

_I hate you!_

_You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you!_

Obi-Wan left in a hurry. His throat felt tight and his palms were sweaty. Not knowing where he was going, he staggered down the hallway, but stopped when he heard voices to his left.

"What do you mean it's blue? Milk can't be blue."

An open door led to the galley. Obi-Wan took a step toward it and saw Anakin's children talking to one another. The boy was seated on a barstool with a steaming mug clutched in both hands while the girl was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Of course it can," Luke insisted. "That's practically all we had to drink on Tatooine."

Obi-Wan took two quiet steps forward. The children hadn't noticed him, too engrossed in their conversation and in each other's company. He smiled weakly at the sight. They had become fast friends in the few hours they had known each other. Perhaps it wasn't surprising. The Force bonded them together stronger than any two people he had ever met.

He thought of Maul's final words to him. Had he known they were related? Unlikely, but he certainly had sensed their bond. He must have deduced that Leia's natural strength in the Force was at least in part derived from her connection to Luke. The twins were strong individually, but they were far stronger together. Neither Obi-Wan nor Yoda had anticipated this. They had always thought that only one would be trained and the other would be the spare, as callous as that might sound. Yet that would no longer be the case. Maul had helped him see how wrong he was in more ways than one.

"Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan's vision came back into focus. In his reverie, he hadn't noticed the twins halt their conversation. They had both noticed his presence and were giving him expectant looks.

"Is Vader going to be alright?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer, but he hesitated. Even from here, he could still hear the rhythmic whine of Vader's respirator. It followed him like an inescapable lament.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said finally. His voice was a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat. "Master Yoda could only do so much."

"But you said –"

Obi-Wan cut Leia off. "I give you my word, I will not let him die."

The twins both blinked in synchrony. They seemed to be surprised by this declaration.

"Why?" Luke suddenly asked.

Obi-Wan frowned. "Is that not what you want?"

"It is, but… why are _you_ doing it? No one else seems to care."

Obi-Wan looked away, his chest feeling a bit tight. "I care," he said, more to himself than to Luke. "Of course I care." He stared off into space for a few moments before shaking his head. He looked back at the bemused twins. "But for now we must focus on the other matter at hand," he said in a stronger voice.

"What other matter?" Leia asked.

"Your training," he smiled.

Luke and Leia traded looks. They seemed a bit skeptical.

"Right now?" Luke asked.

"Yes, right now," Obi-Wan said, his smile turning surly. "What else do you have to do?"

Luke shrugged and looked down at the mug in his hands. Not understanding his reaction, Obi-Wan turned to Leia. Seeing the question on his face, she gave him a nod and pushed herself away from the counter, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet as she addressed her friend.

"Come on, Luke," she said. Her voice was far more chipper than he had ever heard it. Perhaps it was an artificial affect for Luke's sake. "We'll do it together. Isn't that right, Master Kenobi?"

"If you wish," Obi-Wan said.

When Luke didn't react, Leia made a low sound of frustration. She took a step forward, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him to his feet.

"Hey!"

"Stop sulking," she demanded. "You're coming and that's final."

Obi-Wan suppressed a chuckle. The princess clearly understood the art of negotiation. When incentive had failed, she jumped straight to coercion. Perhaps that shift in gear had been made too quickly, but it seemed to have worked. Luke set his mug aside and shook himself free from Leia's grasp.

"Fine, I'll do it," he said, a smile at the corner of his lips. "You know you don't have to do that so often. You're going to tear my arm off if you keep it up."

"Well if you weren't so stubborn, I wouldn't have to," Leia retorted haughtily.

Luke had a comeback ready, but Obi-Wan interjected. "Shall we?" he suggested.

The pair both nodded, Leia a bit more eagerly than Luke. Certain that the princess would drag her companion along if he hesitated again, Obi-Wan spun around and departed. Taking a left turn out of the galley, he made his way down the hallway toward the exit. A front of humid air struck his face when he descended the ramp, and Obi-Wan began to sweat nearly instantly. He looked around with a grim frown.

Dagobah was, in a word, dense. The ground was a soggy morass of mud, moss, and ferns. Gnarled trees environed their freighter which, Obi-Wan only now noticed, had been battened with camouflaged tarpaulins to protect it from the elements. It seemed Captain Solo was preparing for stormy weather. A wary glance for the sky substantiated the captain's fears. Grey clouds brewed ominously overhead, and the distant rumble of thunder suggested the tempest to come would be arriving sooner rather than later.

"Ugh. This place is gross."

Obi-Wan turned around to see Leia rolling up the sleeves of her dress. The pristine white fabric shined brightly amidst the muted greens and grays of the swamp around them. It wouldn't stay that way for long.

"Come along," Obi-Wan said. He beckoned them toward a small clearing which he had hewn out of the foliage a few hours prior with his lightsaber. It was crudely done, but it suited his purposes quite well. A petrified tree trunk provided him with an elevated seat from which he could teach his pupils who would be seated on the ground a few feet away. Unfortunately for him, Leia didn't seem to share his vision.

"What do you mean, on the ground?" she asked when he gestured for her to sit. Her nose wrinkled with disgust, a most affronted expression across her face.

Obi-Wan took a seat on the tree trunk and folded his legs underneath him. "Luke seems to have no objection," he pointed out. Sure enough, the boy had sat down right away and emulated Obi-Wan's posture with his back straight and hands planted on his knees.

"Yeah, Leia," Luke said. "It's not a big deal, really."

"For you, maybe," Leia said. She looked around, presumably searching for a more befitting spot. "This just won't do," she said with considerable consternation. "I'll be right back." She turned on her heel and marched back to the ship.

Luke was about to call after her, but Obi-Wan held up a hand. "Let her," he said. "She won't be long."

Sure enough, Leia returned quite quickly. Bundled in her arms was a folded quilt. Obi-Wan arched a brow when she set it down on the dirt and took a seat.

"Did you ask Captain Solo if you could use this?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Leia said. Her tone suggested she hadn't even contemplated doing such a thing.

"Why not?"

Leia knit her brows together and she looked down at her knees. "I, uh… should I have?"

"It would have been the courteous thing to do."

Such an accusation of discourtesy must have been mortifying for the princess. Determined to right the wrong, Leia made to stand up right away, but Obi-Wan stopped her.

"You apply worth to the dress you wear," he said. "Its integrity is important to you."

"Um… yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's a nice dress."

"Is that all?"

Leia looked a bit harried. "I… I don't know. It's made of charmeuse, I think. Very expensive."

"Oh?" Obi-Wan said.

"We have a royal seamstress in Aldera," Leia told him. "She's one of the very best. Her name's Greta. Before I turned sixteen, my mother had her make me a whole new wardrobe." Obi-Wan shared an amused look with Luke, but Leia didn't notice and she continued prattling on. "Most of my dresses are still in the palace, but I brought a fair few with me to Coruscant. I have a lot of really fancy ones – brocade and the sort, you know – but I've always preferred the simpler look. It's less showy, but still elegant."

Leia stopped and only then seemed to realize how long she had been speaking. Her cheeks turned pink with belated embarrassment. Obi-Wan let her squirm for a bit, ever amused by the sheepish look on her face.

"And the quilt?"

Visibly confused, Leia looked down. "What about it?"

"What do you know of it?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing at all?"

"I just found it on one of the bunks."

"And so therefore you conclude it is of lesser value than the dress you wear?"

Leia bit her lip. "No –"

"But you do," Obi-Wan interrupted. "You have no qualm setting it down on the dirt." He paused to spare a glance for Luke to see if the boy was still engaged. He was, eyes keen as he leaned forward. "Now apply this logic to two beings. Say, a royal lady from a Core World and a humble farm boy from the Outer Rim. Does one have more worth than the other?"

Leia seemed offended by the insinuated accusation. "Of course not," she said stiffly.

"Why is that?"

"Everyone is equal."

"Are they?"

"Of course."

Obi-Wan pivoted. "What do you think, Luke?" he asked.

The boy frowned. "About what?"

"Are all people equal?"

He hesitated. "I, well… I think so."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," he said more confidently. "Nothing makes anyone better than anyone else."

Obi-Wan scratched his beard as he pondered this response. "How very egalitarian of you," he said dryly. "But life is so disparate, is it not? There are those who are weak and those who are strong. Those who are wise and those who are foolish. And then there are Imperials and Rebels, oppressors and the oppressed. Yet you say we are all equals. Why?"

Luke and Leia looked at each other. Neither knew what to say.

"Do you doubt yourselves now?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sort of," Leia said.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Do not," he said. "Your intuition is pure, and as it may be, very much accurate."

"Really?" Luke asked.

"Really," Obi-Wan confirmed. "It was Grand Master Yoda who once said to me, and I am paraphrasing of course, that the mind of a child is a beautiful thing."

"I'm not a child," Leia insisted.

Obi-Wan didn't contradict her, although he did smile wryly – an expression no doubt interpreted as condescending by the lofty princess. "The galaxy is divisive. We as living beings are pulled apart, separated into castes and creeds, and taught to distrust each other. But at our core, we are all fundamentally the same. We all live, we all grow old, we all die. We love and we fear, we laugh and we cry. We are all alive, and because of that, we are all equals."

He paused to allow this lesson to sink in. The silence was doubly helpful as it allowed him the chance to observe his pupils' differing reactions. Luke was nodding to himself, a distant look in his eyes as he pondered Obi-Wan's lecture. On the flip side, Leia's forehead was creased with confusion along with a healthy amount of skepticism.

"As a Jedi, one must understand this on both a theoretical and practical level." He gestured to the quilt Leia was seated upon. "She sees the fundamental sameness of all beings and of all things."

"So you're saying the quilt is the same as the dress?" Leia asked.

"Yes and no," Obi-Wan said. "Yes in the sense that they have the same intrinsic worth. This is what I mean when I say all things are equal. But that does not mean you are wrong to set it in the dirt instead of your dress. As long as you do so not because the dress is more valuable, but because the dress has a _separate_ value."

"But why even make that distinction?" Leia asked.

"Because the universe makes no such appraisals of worth. A dress is no more valuable to the universe than the quilt, just as a princess is no more important than a farm boy. When you understand this, you will also realize that everything in the universe is connected by a singular thread which equalizes and unifies all things."

Luke suddenly gasped. "Kanan told me something just like that!"

"Did he?"

"Yeah, but it didn't make any sense when he said it." Luke blushed, perhaps feeling bad about having said something so blunt. "I mean… you explained it a bit better."

Obi-Wan tried not to reveal how pleased that praise made him feel. Teaching had never come naturally to him. Perhaps with age he had better learned how to explain difficult subjects such as this.

"Well I don't get it," Leia grumbled.

"I think you already do, you just don't know it yet," Obi-Wan said.

"I do?"

"Think of what I just told you. Everything in the universe is connected by a thread, sewn together, if you will, just like the silk of your dress or the cloth of the quilt."

Leia nodded slowly. "Okay."

"All living beings are thus bonded to one another, but some bonds are made stronger than others by a number of factors."

Leia's eyes widened with understanding. "So Luke and I…?"

"Are bonded, yes. Quite strongly, in fact."

"But why? You said there are factors which make bonds stronger. What sort of factors?"

Obi-Wan hesitated. Should he tell them? But that answer would entail so many questions, none of which he wanted to answer right now.

He was saved from having to answer when a fat rain droplet splashed on the bridge of his nose. Startled, he craned his head to see a rapidly darkening sky.

"Perhaps we should conclude this lesson at a later date," Obi-Wan said.

As he said this, the clouds opened up and rain poured down on them. Leia yelped and the twins leapt to their feet. They ran to the freighter, Leia fleetingly remembering to pick up the quilt before she went. Obi-Wan saw no need to make haste, drenched to the bone as he already was. He looked beyond the fleeing children to see a man's silhouette at the top of the ramp, arms crossed as he leaned against one of the struts. How long had he been there?

"Luke," he said in greeting. "Princess."

"Hey Kanan," Luke replied before hurrying into the freighter, Leia quick on his heels.

Obi-Wan stood up from the tree trunk and approached. His feet sank in the mud, great puddles forming in the ruts and divots of the earth. Taking a step onto the ramp and under the shade of the canopy, he wiped his face clear of the rain, wrung out his sodden robes, and addressed his comrade.

"How do you find my method?"

Jarrus furrowed his brow underneath his mask. "You're asking me?"

"You are a teacher as well, are you not?"

"By necessity."

"By what other mean does one become a teacher?"

Jarrus pursed his lips and looked away. "By merit."

Obi-Wan took a step up the ramp. "I take it you heard Luke's comment?"

"It's not that," Jarrus said. "Although it didn't help, that's for sure."

"You don't believe in yourself."

It wasn't much of a deduction. In everything Jarrus said and did, he could always sense a hint of hesitation, a not-so-subtle lack of confidence, and even a twinge of self-contempt. Obi-Wan had scarcely known a man who unduly doubted in himself as much as Kanan Jarrus did.

"I feel like I'm letting Ezra down," Jarrus said. "He has so much potential, but I haven't the faintest idea how to tap it."

Obi-Wan could see where this was going. "If you want me to train Ezra –"

"No," Jarrus said, perhaps stronger than he intended. He curled his wrists and glanced over his shoulder down the hallway. "There was a time when…" Trailing off, Jarrus shook his head and turned back to Obi-Wan. "Not anymore. Ezra is my Padawan. I'm not giving him up."

"Alright," Obi-Wan said, confused as much as he was relieved. "Then…?"

"If you were to train me, I would be better able to train Ezra," Jarrus said a bit sheepishly. "Would you, ah… would you be willing to do that?"

Obi-Wan blinked a few times, thoroughly surprised by this request. "Oh," he said.

"I know you have your hands full with Luke and Leia, but it wouldn't have to be much," Jarrus said, speaking with greater urgency now. "Just a few pointers, that's all. On teaching and mentorship and the sort."

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to be uncomfortable. "Kanan, I hardly think I am the right person to ask for advice on that," he said grimly.

"Why not? I saw your lesson. The kids were enraptured."

Obi-Wan swallowed hard. "You think?"

"Luke was never so engaged when I tried to teach him," Jarrus assured him. "You have a special way with him. And the way you got Leia to listen? That's no small feat, believe me. She's not exactly the receptive sort."

Unsure of what to say, Obi-Wan looked down at his feet. He felt a bit choked up all of a sudden.

"Master?" Jarrus prompted. "Do you…?"

"I'm sorry, Kanan," Obi-Wan said loudly. "Perhaps Master Yoda would be better able to help you."

He tried to push past Jarrus, but the man stepped in front of him. "This is because of Vader, isn't it?"

Obi-Wan gave Jarrus an incredulous look. "Vader? What would he have to do with –"

"He was your Padawan, wasn't he?"

Obi-Wan's heart was beating very fast now. He fumbled with the collar of his robes, eyes darting away from Jarrus. It was a good thing he couldn't see how agitated he was.

"Luke's father didn't die in the Clone War, did he?"

"I… I don't –"

"Ahsoka told us about him, you know. She said he was her master and that you were his."

"Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan echoed. "She…?"

"She survived the war." Jarrus' expression turned grim. "Although we don't know what happened to her." He shook his head and looked away. "Ezra and I accompanied her to Malachor a year back."

"Malachor? Whatever made you go there?"

"Master Yoda, as it would have it. He came to Ezra in a vision." Jarrus scratched his temple and frowned. "I'm not sure why he made the suggestion, to be frank. The whole mission was a disaster."

"What happened?"

Jarrus pointed to his mask. "Maul did this to me there."

Obi-Wan winced. "Kanan, I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Jarrus said, his voice thick. "I've come to live with it. But that's not the point. It's what happened after that matters."

"What happed after?"

"Vader arrived."

Obi-Wan glanced down the hallway where he could swear he somehow heard Vader's respirator let out a whine. He knew he couldn't have. He was too far away, and besides, the din of the rain would have been more than enough to drown out the noise.

"Is this was Ezra was referencing back on Yavin?"

"Perhaps. It was actually our second encounter with the man."

"Where was the first?"

"On Lothal. He easily could have killed us, but he didn't seem too bothered. On Malachor it was different. He was out for blood." Jarrus shuddered, and Obi-Wan could sense his residual fear. "I had been blinded by that point and Ezra was forced to face him alone. He would have died had Ahsoka not arrived."

So Ahsoka and Anakin had met again. Obi-Wan feared where this story was going.

"They dueled each other, but before that, Ezra said he heard them talking. He couldn't make out what was said, though. Ezra and I secured the holocron from the temple and were going to escape with Ahsoka when she stopped. I didn't understand it then, but I think I do know. She wanted him to come with us. She wanted him to be her master again."

There was a long pause as Obi-Wan refused to corroborate this theory. He bit his tongue and stared determinedly at the ramp, his imagination painting a scene before him. Ahsoka lowering her weapons before Vader, pleading with him to return to the light, just like he had done on Mustafar all those years ago.

_I won't leave you!_

But Ahsoka's effort was in vain. There was nothing she could do. Her master, his friend – that man was gone.

"You think you failed him, don't you? You think it's your fault he became Vader."

Obi-Wan didn't answer, but his silence was more than telling.

"You're wrong, Master. It isn't your fault."

"How should you know?" Obi-Wan snapped.

Jarrus' eyebrows shot up, startled by the sudden outburst.

"You have your Padawan, and I had mine," Obi-Wan said. "How would you feel if Ezra turned to the dark side? You would blame yourself! Of course you would! It's only natural. And for the rest of your life, you'd ask yourself where it all went wrong. What could I have done differently? How could I not have seen it coming? You see all the horrible things he's done and you don't understand how it's possible that such a monster was once the young man you called your friend. You look at him now and you see him broken and defeated, and you tell yourself you won't fail him this time. Because I made a vow! I made a vow to train him, and I'll make a vow to save him! You hear me? I won't let him die! I won't let him down! Not again, I won't!"

This time Jarrus didn't get in his way when he pushed past. Storming down the hallway, Obi-Wan wrapped his sodden robes around himself tighter and tried not to think about the tears streaming down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are unfamiliar with Timothy Zahn's wonderful writing, I humbly attempted to replicate his style in the opening section of this chapter, what with Thrawn's italicized observations and unique way of speaking. Thrawn will have an important role moving forward in the story (and perhaps in the very next chapter, I haven't actually written it yet). Once again, if you are unfamiliar with Zahn's trilogy, I hope Thrawn's inclusion doesn't dissuade you from reading on. The story will predominantly focus on our heroes (Obi-Wan, Vader, and the twins), with everyone else serving as secondary actors.
> 
> As always, thank you all for reading! Next chapter should be a fun one.


	12. Ashes

Luke lied on his back with one hand behind his head and the other draped over his stomach. He stared at the bunk above him, absently tracing the pattern of plastoid support beams with his mind, languorous eyes scanning from left to right until the next beam carried him right to left. Bored of this numbing exercise, Luke released a sigh and rested his cheek on the pillow.

He hadn't been able to sleep much that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he found himself reminded of the cell. The two rooms had a similar likeness: cold, dark, drab. Yet he wasn't alone in here as he was there. Luke was happily ensconced in the middle bunk, with Sabine sleeping above him and Leia below. The rhythmic cadence of their breathing soothed him like a lullaby. Leia's proximity was especially comforting to him, even if he couldn't quite explain why.

It was early in the morning, although Luke didn't know the exact time. There was a chrono on the control panel by the door. Luke strained his eyes to read, but the chrono was too far away. He sighed again and closed his eyes.

_I thought you were here to help me! I thought you were my friend!_

_You were mistaken._

Luke's eyes flew open as he swung his legs off the bunk. Scooting over toward the ladder, he grabbed the metal bar and climbed down. With one foot hovering between steps, he peered into the bunk below to see Leia's sleeping figure, her mouth hanging ajar, a strand of spittle between her lips and the pillow. Luke chuckled at the sight. The princess acted refined in public, but she didn't fool him. Leia was just as much a kid as he was.

He shivered when his bare feet touched the frigid floor. A pair of moccasins were tucked away in the corner of the room, and Luke quickly slipped into them. They were several sizes too large, as was everything Captain Solo had offered them to wear, but he didn't really mind. Leia was far more upset about their sartorial misfortunes than he was.

Rubbing his arms together, Luke shuffled toward the door. It slid open and he stepped outside into the hallway. He squinted in the bright lights, his dilated pupils slow to adjust. The sound of muted voices compelled him forward. Ben's drawling timbre was instantly recognizable to him, as was Yoda's throaty speech. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but one word sounded above the rest.

Skywalker.

So they were talking about him again. It frustrated him to no end that all these people – Ben, Kanan, Vader, Yoda, Bendu – expressed so much interest in him, yet they never explained why. They said he was powerful? Luke certainly didn't feel powerful. And even if he was, nobody had done anything to empower him. While Ben's lecture had been far more comprehensible than Kanan's, Luke still didn't know the first thing about actually _using_ the Force. But perhaps he needed to be patient. With Leia at his side, Luke was willing to at least give it a try.

The voices grew louder as he approached the bulkhead. Stepping out of the ship and into the open air, he glanced up at the sky. Dense cloud cover and humid fog concealed the sun, and with it, any indicator of the time. He knew it to be morning, but it just as well could be late in the afternoon. Dagobah sure was a strange planet.

Reaching the bottom of the ramp, Luke looked up to see Ben and Yoda, the latter seated cross-legged on the petrified stump in the center of the circular clearing while the former stood with his arms crossed. A little ways away, Luke saw Kanan leaning against a tree trunk as he blindly observed the two Jedi Masters. Much to his surprise, it was Kanan who noticed him first.

"Luke," he said without turning. "Good morning."

"Morning," Luke said.

Ben spun around, visibly startled by his arrival. "You're up early," he said.

Luke shrugged. "What's going on?"

The two Masters traded looks. As per usual, neither offered an explanation. Instead, Ben beckoned him forward. "Come, Luke," he said.

Luke did so, although he was clear to exhibit his dissatisfaction with a surly frown and heavy steps. He didn't like being treated in this way. Like he was some kind of droid, only ever expected to follow orders and never to be entrusted with anything of importance.

"Master Yoda and I were talking," Ben said when Luke took a seat in the dirt. "He is going to teach me how to heal Vader."

Luke looked back and forth between the Masters. "I don't understand, why can't Master Yoda do it himself?"

"He can," Ben said, and his voice suddenly sounded a bit tense. "But I might be able to reach Vader in a way he cannot."

"Why?"

Ben looked away to Kanan. "I heard that Vader came to speak with you when you were on the _Chimaera._ "

Luke clenched his teeth. Once again, his question was met with a deflection rather than an answer. "He did," he ground out.

"What happened?"

"Why does it matter?"

"It does," Ben said firmly.

Luke blinked once, surprised by the man's conviction. "He, uh… he came to interrogate me, I think."

"You think?"

"He never actually asked me any questions."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I think I surprised him."

"How so?"

Luke took a shuddering breath. "I thought he came to save me. That must have caught him off guard."

"Why did you think he was there to save you?"

Luke set his jaw. "I had my reasons," he said flatly.

Ben seemed surprised by this response. As if it hadn't occurred to him that Luke could withhold information just like he could. To be frank, it hadn't occurred to Luke until now that he could do such a thing.

"Tell me why you think you can heal Vader better than Master Yoda," Luke demanded.

Ben's expression turned somber. "I hope I can," he amended. "I am not vain enough to think it."

"What's the difference?"

This question was met with a wan smile. "Thinking is done with this," Ben answered, tapping a finger to his temple. "But hoping is very much driven by this." He rested a hand over his heart. "But I will do my best, Luke. I promise you that." He turned to Yoda, his face grim. "Shall we begin?"

Yoda picked up the cane leaning against the stump and arduously got to his feet. Head ducked, he plodded back toward the freighter. The wizened master came to a stop by Luke's side and gave him a sideways look. Feeling a bit nervous, Luke gulped and met his probing gaze.

"Anger, I sense in you, Skywalker," Yoda growled. "Confusion, anger… and fear."

Luke didn't know how to respond to that. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Yoda shook his head and resumed his trek. Ben followed after him, but on his way past, he leaned down to ruffle Luke's hair. Luke blinked once at the gesture and turned at the waist to watch him depart. That was odd. It had been almost… affectionate?

Kanan cleared his throat, and Luke turned to look at him. "They were talking about me, weren't they?" he said.

"About you?" Kanan frowned.

"I heard my name."

Kanan pressed his lips together and didn't respond.

"Why does everything have to be a secret?" Luke asked, irritation seeping into his voice as he stood up. "Nobody ever tells me anything!"

"I hardly know any more than you do, Luke."

"But you do know something, don't you?"

Kanan pushed himself away from the tree and squared his shoulders. "Sometimes it's best not to know," he said.

Luke bristled at this assessment, but Kanan didn't give him a chance to retort. Bowing his head, the Jedi trudged back to the ship.

Δ Δ Δ

"I will kill you Kenobi."

Vader's blade sank despite the vehemence of his words. He was exhausted, his entire torso screaming with furious pain where the flesh connected with the metal of his artificial limbs. It gave him some solace to see that Kenobi was similarly beleaguered, panting for breath as he retreated into the hangar.

"I'd love to see you try, Darth."

Vader saw it coming – he knew his former master's style well – but even so he was too slow to react. The blow hit him square in the chest and Vader was thrown off his feet. He landed awkwardly on his back a few meters away.

_Kenobi! He's getting away!_

Vader pulled himself to his feet, mechanical knees buckling under his weight. Through red-tinged vision he saw Kenobi's fleeing figure. His robes rippled behind him as he pelted toward the freighter parked about a dozen meters away. Acting on furious impulse, Vader thrust out his fist.

"Kenobi!"

The coward crumpled to the ground, his lightsaber falling from his hand and rolling away. Vader felt his pain ebb away at the sight, his inevitable triumph strengthening his resolve. He approached, fist now unclenched as he thrust it into the air, Kenobi pulled upward at its behest.

"I will have my revenge," Vader growled. Pinching his fingers together, he exerted a measured pressure on Kenobi's neck, just a fraction shy of what he knew was needed to break it. No, Kenobi would not die by this impersonal mean. He deserved to die by the blade as he should have sixteen years prior.

And so Vader drew his lightsaber and took a step forward, the revenge he'd long sought so near…

"No!"

His blade was raised above his shoulder when an enormous sound erupted in the hangar bay. Swiveling to the left, Vader's eyes widened just before a shuttle crashed into him head-on. Dropping his lightsaber, he managed to raise his hands and slow the wreckage a degree before he went smashing into the back wall. There was a piercing pain in his hip, and the world exploded in flames.

_He was on fire._

_The pain was unbearable. His skin bubbled and boiled before his very eyes which themselves felt as if they were desiccating in the horrific heat. A silhouette loomed above him at the top of the hill._

Save me! Save me, please!

_He didn't. Instead he turned on his heel and left him to die._

I hate you!

_Through the inferno, he felt a gentle touch, a douse to the flames. He looked up to see a darkened figure, half-obscured by smoke. A plangent voice sang his name._

" _Anakin."_

_A hand was extended to him, penetrating the haze. He reached for it with feral desperation, clawing and scratching at the flesh of his savior. They held onto him and pulled him out of hell._

" _Anakin," the voice said again. He recognized it now, but he knew it could not be. She wasn't real._

" _Mom."_

_Shmi Skywalker was seated by his side with her hands rested on her knees. She tilted her head, lips pressed together tightly in a thin line._

" _Anakin," she said a third time. "My son." She rested a hand on his cheek, her touch at once soft and callused, warm and cold. He could feel it. It was real. It was beautiful._

_It was a lie._

" _You're dead."_

" _No Ani," Shmi said. "I'm still with you. I always have been."_

_He began to grow angry. His vision turned red and flames lapped before his eyes._

" _You're gone! You're not real!"_

_Shmi's expression was pained, and he felt guilty for being so harsh with her. He closed his eyes. Blood pounded in his ears and his skin prickled with pinpoints of vicious, trenchant pain. Hypocrite that he was, he leaned into his mother's touch. He knew she wasn't real, but she helped with the pain._

" _Mother, please. Make it end."_

" _No, my child."_

_He clenched his teeth and pulled himself away from her hand. Biting down the pain, he met her sorrowful eyes._

" _Let me go. I beg you."_

" _I can't do that, Anakin."_

" _Why not?"_

_The corner of her lips twitched. "You asked for my help. You asked for me to save you."_

_His eyes were watering with pain, his mother's face now blurred beyond recognition. He trembled violently, his limbs ablaze, his dignity stretched thin. There was nothing left of her son. He had burned to death long ago, the ashes were all that remained, disparate and dispersed._

" _Let me help you, Ani. Let me save you."_

_He was too weak to refuse. Too weak to surrender._

" _Save me. Save me, please."_

_Slowly but surely he was reconstructed. The pain – the ever-present pain – it didn't leave him, but it dulled, the stabbing sensations abating with each passing moment. He felt himself swell, a rejuvenating vigor coursing through his veins and filling his chest. As his vision began to clear, his mother, his savior, came back into focus…_

Except it wasn't her at all. It was not Shmi at his side, but…

"Kenobi!"

Vader's hand flew to the man's throat. Kenobi's eyes bulged wide as he squeezed with all his might. A strangled sound rasped from Kenobi's lips.

"An… Anakin, I –"

_I love…_

"I –"

_I love you!_

"Please."

_I loved you._

Vader released him and Kenobi fell to his knees, spewing saliva all over the floor as he wretched. Unfurling his fingers, Vader looked down at his gauntleted hand, but realized that it wasn't gauntleted at all. It was nothing but metal, wiring, and circuitry.

"Your armor… I removed it."

Kenobi staggered back to his feet and gestured to the corner of the room. Stunned, Vader followed his finger to see a pile of ceramic and plastoid armor strewn across the floor. A jolt of panic had him gasping for air.

"My suit…"

"You don't need it."

Vader felt lightheaded. He pressed his metal hands to his temples to find that his helmet was gone. Looking down at his chest, he saw that it was bear, the bulky respirator no longer strapped to his sternum. He couldn't breathe without it! He would die! And yet he was fine.

"Your lungs are at 90 percent capacity," Kenobi said, flashing a handheld device of sorts which must have given him this information.

This couldn't be happening. His master had told him it was impossible. Without his suit he would die! The only time he could take it off was in the bacta bath with an oxygen mask or in his hyperbaric chamber. But now… now he was breathing without it.

"How?"

He looked up from his miraculously suitless body to see Kenobi leaning against the back wall. The man looked frail and so exhausted that he seemed on the verge of fainting.

"I healed you," the Jedi said.

"You lie," Vader spat. It couldn't be true! It couldn't! This was a mirage, just like his mother had been. "You harm me! Maim me! You would never heal me! Never help me!"

"You asked me to."

Vader felt his brow grow sweaty and his pulse quicken. He tried to back away, but his calves hit the bunk behind him and he fell down onto the mattress.

"No, no, no," he said. For the first time, he noticed his voice was no longer a deep baritone. Of course it wasn't. That was an affect the suit provided. Now he sounded quavering and twangy. "I didn't… I didn't ask for you."

"Then whom?"

Vader swallowed hard. His mother… she… but Kenobi? This… this couldn't be… this wasn't possible. His master… his master had said…

"Anakin."

"Don't you dare call me that!" Vader bellowed.

Kenobi flinched, and he was struck with the same remorse he'd experienced when he had snapped at his mother.

"What would I call you other than your name?"

This was all too much. His lungs might be functioning once more, but right now he couldn't get any oxygen. He was hyperventilating, his chest tight, his heart pounding in his ears.

"I…I…"

Kenobi pushed himself away from the wall and made his way toward the bunk. Vader experienced another paroxysm of panic at his approach, but was too incapacitated to fend him off. He merely watched with panicked eyes as his old master, his former friend, his savior and tormentor, crossed the length of the room to his side. When he spoke, his weary voice was distant and garbled.

"Rest, Anakin."

He placed a forefinger to the dome of his head and Vader felt himself slipping back into the comforting embrace of oblivion. Darkness, his one and only friend, consumed him whole.

Δ Δ Δ

"Leia? What's wrong?"

Blinking rapidly, Leia ignored Ezra's question and instead looked to Luke. "Do you feel that?"

Her companion was seated opposite her with his legs crossed. He looked as she felt: face blanched and eyes wide.

"Yeah," he said. "It feels…"

"Dark," Leia said.

Surprise flitted across Luke's face. "No," he said. "That's not what I feel."

"What are you two talking about?"

They shared exasperated looks before turning to Ezra. The three of them were seated in a circular setting in the clearing at the base of the _Millennium Falcon._ With Master Yoda's encouragement, Ezra had been trying to teach them how to move objects with the Force. Emphasis on _trying._ Ezra wasn't exactly the most inspired teacher. But then again, neither Luke nor Leia were the most receptive students. It rankled that Yoda thought it best for Ezra to teach them rather than doing it himself.

"It's Vader," Luke said. He spoke with great assurance. "Something happened."

Leia felt a tingle on the back of her neck. She twisted around to see Kenobi clomping down the ramp toward them. He looked exhausted, his cheeks sunken and his robes hanging loosely to his frame. It had been three days since either of them had seen the Jedi who had spent that time holed away with Vader.

"Master Kenobi!" Leia exclaimed, leaping to her feet and running toward him.

"Leia," he greeted hoarsely.

"What happened? Is Vader…?"

She trailed off, Kenobi's gaze drifting beyond her toward Luke.

"You did it," Luke said. "You healed him."

Kenobi's head sagged. "Far from it, I'm afraid," he said heavily. "But he will live."

There was a long silence as Leia absorbed this information. So Vader had survived. Now what? She hadn't given that question much thought until now. Perhaps part of her had believed – or rather hoped – that Kenobi would fail.

"Master, why don't you sit down," Ezra suggested after a minute.

"Yes," Kenobi said. He took two feeble steps forward and his knees buckled. Leia rushed forward to help, there just in time for him to fall into her. "Forgive me, Leia," he said.

"Don't apologize," she said.

Using her as a crutch, Kenobi hobbled to the tree trunk. She could feel his ribs beneath his robes. The man was skeletal. Had he not had anything to eat over these past few days?

"Yoda," Kenobi said. "I wish to speak with him."

"I'll find him," Ezra said. "He should be around." He drew his lightsaber and hurried away into the forest, deftly using the green blade to hack at the dense tangle of vines and branches in his path.

Kenobi's arm slipped away from her shoulder as he fell down onto the trunk. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly from his mouth.

"Are you okay?" Leia asked him.

"I'm quite alright," Kenobi said, although the frailty of his voice suggested otherwise.

Leia wanted to press him, but the clang of footsteps on metal caused her to look back at the freighter. There she saw Kanan descending from the ramp. Leia noticed his mask was absent and his milky white eyes were open.

"Kanan!" Luke called.

"I sensed something," the Jedi said. "Has something happened?"

"Master Kenobi won't tell us," Leia said sourly.

Kenobi chuckled. "Patience," he instructed.

"This has to do with Vader, doesn't it," Kanan said, coming to a stop between her and Luke. He crossed his arms and peered down at Kenobi. It seemed that Kanan, like her, was more than a little ambivalent about Vader's revival.

"I will explain when Master Yoda arrives," Kenobi explained again.

"Well in the meantime we need to talk," Kanan said.

"What about?" Kenobi asked.

"We've been here three days now."

"Yes, and?"

"I haven't been able to make contact with anyone in the Rebellion."

"I suspect we are out of range," Kenobi murmured, his interest in this conversation audibly waning.

Kanan set his jaw. "How much longer are you going to have us wait here?"

"What does it matter how long you are away from the Alliance?" Kenobi asked. "Is there a matter of great urgency to which you must personally attend?"

"No, but –"

"Then this is a personal matter."

"Personal? I didn't say anything about –"

"I inferred," Kenobi said. His voice had a twist of contempt in it, startling Leia who had never heard the Jedi Master speak in such a way.

Kanan did not miss this shift in tone either. His blind eyes turned narrow as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "We need to return to Yavin."

"On the contrary, would it not make most sense for us to stay here? Safe from the Empire and from the Inquisitors? Why not take the time to train our three students?"

"The _Falcon_ doesn't have enough supplies for us to last more than a month," Kanan pointed out.

"Logistical issues can always be overcome," Kenobi dismissed.

"And what about Vader?"

"A challenge, yes, but one that I must handle, not you." Kenobi stood up from the stump, his legs wobbling underneath him. "We have no reason to make haste," he said. "So why do you insist we leave, Master Dume?"

Kanan's face turned taut. His livid expression had Leia nervous, and she shot a glance toward Luke who looked similarly anxious.

"If we had it your way, we would be abandoning the Rebel Alliance in their time of need," Kanan said.

"But if we stay, our pupils will be better prepared to assist them, as will we," Kenobi countered. "You understand the concept of a tactical retreat, do you not? I am sure Master Billaba taught you about strategy." There was a tense pause. Kenobi's hands were rested on his belt buckle while Kanan's balled up into fists at his sides. "Ergo, I can only assume that the reason you wish to depart so quickly is personal rather than tactical. So I ask you: What personal matter is clouding your judgement?"

"It's not clouding my judgement!" Kanan barked.

Kenobi smiled sardonically. "Ah, so you're not denying that you have a personal matter to which you wish to attend."

Kanan's face reddened. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but evidently thought better of it.

"Remember your teachings, Caleb. Attachments are against the Jedi Code."

"That's rich coming from you," Kanan snapped.

Kenobi's eyebrows shot up. "What are you insinuating?"

"You and Vader," Kanan said.

Kenobi's face hardened. "Kanan, what are you talking about?" Luke asked. Neither Jedi acted as if they had heard this question.

"I spoke to you in confidence," Kenobi said, the sting of betrayal loud in his voice.

"As did I," Kanan said.

"That's different."

"How so?"

A flustered Kenobi was cut off by Luke. "Would you two shut up and explain to me what's going on?"

Kenobi blinked a few times in surprise. "Luke –"

"I mean it," Luke cut in, pointing an angry finger at both Jedi. "All you do is keep secrets! I have a right to know what's going on."

"You do, but –"

"No buts! I want to know how you know Vader and why I'm connected to him."

Kenobi's astonishment ballooned with this statement. "You… what?"

"You heard me," Luke snapped. "Vader and I are connected. I want to know why."

"Connected how?" Kenobi asked.

Luke hesitated before looking right at her. "It's kind of like…"

He trailed off, but everyone knew what he was saying. "Like you and me?" Leia said, her stomach twisting into knots. Something about that made her feel very uncomfortable. How could Luke share such an intimate bond with a vile person like Vader?

"This bond," Kenobi said, "how have you experienced it?"

Luke looked frustrated. "I don't know, visions, feelings," he explained with an agitated wave of his hands. "Does it matter? I want answers! I know you know things."

"I know many things," Kenobi said unhelpfully.

"So start talking," Luke huffed.

Kenobi glanced between her and Luke, a pained expression on his face.

"He needs to know," Kanan said.

"Yes, I suppose he does," Kenobi agreed somberly.

"What do I need to know?" Luke asked.

Leia scarcely breathed, she too feverishly curious to learn what Kenobi knew. Why it mattered to her so much, she couldn't explain. Perhaps it was merely because she was interested in Luke, and the things that interested him therefore interested her. But even so, it shouldn't be _this_ interesting. No, there was something about Vader himself that fascinated her, but Leia hadn't the faintest idea why.

Kenobi parted his lips to speak, but he was stopped by an buoyant voice.

"I found him! Master Kenobi, I found him!"

Leia spun around to see Ezra emerging from the woods with a triumphant grin. Seeing her dour expression, Ezra faltered.

"What?" he said.

Leia wanted to scold him for his horrific timing, but that would require an explanation about what he had just interrupted. Instead she stewed in her frustration and remained silent. Ezra Bridger could be _so_ insufferable.

Master Yoda was shuffling along behind Ezra with his patented labored yet graceful gait. The venerable Grand Master looked to Kenobi.

"Succeeded, have you?" he asked.

Kenobi seemed a bit rattled by Yoda's sudden arrival, but Leia could also see that he was relieved by the disruption. Whatever he had been about to say, it was clear Kenobi considered the timing inopportune. Perhaps he wished to keep this secret, whatever it may be, a little longer. Or perhaps he wanted to keep it in perpetuity.

"Physically, Vader is restored," Kenobi said.

Yoda passed Ezra and lumbered into the clearing. Taking a moment to brush off the burs clinging to his robes, the Grand Master set his cane aside and clambered onto the stump. Kenobi took a step back so Yoda wouldn't have to crane his head much to look at him.

"You taught me well, Master," he said.

"An excellent student, you are," Yoda said, a sparkle in his eyes. "But doubt, I sense in you still."

Kenobi pursed his lips. "When Vader woke, he was… I don't know how best to describe it. Delirious, I suppose."

"Angry with you, was he?"

"In part. But mostly he seemed afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of me I think."

Yoda made a humming sound as he closed his eyes. "Fear," he said, enunciating the word bitterly as if it were a curse. "Much fear, I sensed in him then."

"You think he can't be saved," Kenobi said. Yoda offered no response, but it seemed Kenobi hadn't expected one. "I have to try, Master. It's my responsibility."

"Think that, do you?"

"I do, Master. I very much do."

Yoda nodded, although he looked pained to do so. "Then leave this place, you must."

There was a long pause, Kenobi seemingly unable to fathom what he had heard. "Leave?" he said finally. "But why?"

"My refuge, Dagobah is," Yoda said. "Tainted by Vader's presence, it cannot become."

"But what about Luke and Leia?" Kenobi said. "They need to be trained!"

"Train them yourself, you can," Yoda said.

"You refuse to help?" Kenobi asked, his voice rife with accusation.

Yoda bowed his head. "Be I of help, or a hindrance to them?"

Kenobi seemed lost for words. "Master?"

"Failed, have I," the Grand Master said solemnly. "A wiser Jedi, a better teacher, you are."

"That's not true!" Ezra jumped in.

"Lead you to failure on Malachor, I did," Yoda said with a sideways glance for the Padawan. "For your fate, I am responsible," he added, his gaze shifting to Kanan. As they marinated in these heavy words, Yoda slipped off the stump, picked up his cane, and turned to walk away.

"Master!" Kenobi called. "Where will we go?"

Yoda glanced back at him, a wry smile on his lips. "Learn that for yourself, you soon will," he said. With that opaque comment, the Grand Master turned to the forest and left an astounded and divided group in his wake.

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan sat in the jump seat in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon._ He rested his forehead against his fist and listened absently as Captain Solo began the launch sequence.

He was exhausted – but more than that, he felt frail. Yoda had not told him that such a side effect could come with healing, but perhaps he had not known. After all, he doubted Yoda had ever healed someone as scarred as Vader had been. In the process of returning his former Padawan to health, Obi-Wan seemed to have sacrificed some of his own.

And for what? Seeing Vader so feverish and crazed had disheartened him. All that effort to heal his body, but Obi-Wan hadn't been able to do anything for his broken mind. Or perhaps more accurately, his broken heart.

It had been wrong of him to take out his frustrations on Jarrus, especially in front of the twins. But the man consistently got under his skin. His self-defeatism vexed him to no end. As did his profligate irreverence for the Jedi Code. He seemed to think he was above such things, and he was a worse Jedi because of it. His priorities were all out of sort. Devotion to Jedism and to the fight against the Empire were secondary and tertiary to his devotion to this woman whom he claimed to love. That was why he so desperately wanted to return to Yavin 4. Not for any substantial reason but to return to her.

It reminded Obi-Wan of another young man. A young man who had jumped at any opportunity to return to Coruscant and away from the fighting. A young man whose twisted priorities had led to his destruction. Obi-Wan could not allow Kanan to follow a similar path.

Obi-Wan felt himself compress as the ship lifted off from surface. Sitting up straight, he reoriented himself and looked out the viewport.

"Gonna have to give it a little more than that, Chewie," Han muttered. "The air's so humid we might as well be underwater."

Chewbacca woofed in agreement and pushed up on a lever with his furry paw. The ship groaned and the cockpit began to rattle. Feeling a bit nervous, Obi-Wan half-reached for the safety strap which he hadn't bothered to buckle. Yet soon the bit of turbulence passed and the Obi-Wan's concerns were allayed.

"So now what?" Han asked him as the freighter quickly ascended through the dense cloud layer and into the planet's upper atmosphere. "We goin' back to base?"

"I'm afraid not," Obi-Wan said. As long as Vader was with them, they couldn't return to Yavin 4. He would be arrested and likely executed by the Rebel Alliance, assuming they learned who he was now that he was no longer in the suit.

Through his reflection in the viewport, Obi-Wan could see the captain frown. He didn't say anything until they were safely in space and about to escape the planet's gravitational pull. With the ship set to autopilot, he unstrapped himself and spun around in his chair.

"Then what's the deal, Kenobi? You promised me payment."

"I did," Obi-Wan confirmed warily. He of course had no way to make said payment, not without the support of an affluent benefactor. Organa was a natural choice, but Obi-Wan hesitated to contact him for fear that the viceroy would insist he bring Leia back to Alderaan.

"Look, I'm happy to keep running up your tab, but sooner or later I got to return to Tatooine," Han said. "In case you forget, I got a debt I need to pay back."

"I didn't forget," Obi-Wan said.

"So what's it gonna be?"

Obi-Wan had no response. He tried to think, but his mind felt slow. Who else could possibly provide him with the credits he needed? There was no one. All the friends he had once had were gone, swept away by the carnage of the Clone War and by the rise of the Empire. The sobering though made him sigh.

"Hey!" Han said, snapping his fingers. "Fuel ain't cheap, you know! And if you don't pay me my sum –"

A tremor ran through the ship, cutting off Han's threat. The captain spun around in his chair and spewed a string of colorful language.

"What's happening?" Obi-Wan asked, calling on the Force to keep his balance when he rose from his seat.

"Chewie, shift all power to the rear thrusters!" Han ordered.

The Wookiee demurred, pointing to a flashing display. The captain leaned forward to investigate.

"What in the –"

Seemingly out of nowhere, a ship emerged in their viewport. And it was massive.

"Captain?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice high.

Pilot and copilot were stunned into silence. They gaped at the ship which grew larger and larger as their small freighter got pulled in.

"They've got us in the tractor beam," Han finally said. "Nothing I can do now."

"But where did it come from?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I have no idea," Han said. "It must have a cloaking device." Chewbacca barked something, and the captain gave him a glance. "A damn powerful one, I'm sure. I didn't know it was even possible to cloak a ship this size."

"Not with any technology I know of," Obi-Wan said grimly. And while that caused him great concern, it also made him deeply curious. This ship was roughly the same size as the Imperial Star Destroyers he had seen above Coruscant, although it was a slimmer, sleeker and all around more elegant-looking vessel. The foreign design coupled with the new technology suggested that this ship belonged to a powerful entity. He hadn't known of any other great power but the Empire, but perhaps here deep in the Outer Rim they had stumbled across something else.

Or perhaps they hadn't stumbled across it at all. Yoda's final message rang in his ears. Had he known this was going to happen? And if so, could this ship possibly be a friend rather than a foe? At the moment, it hardly seemed to be anything but the former. Its heavy batteries were trained on the _Falcon_ and a detachment of fighters could be seen deploying from the side hangars. The swift fighters closed the gap between them, their flight conspicuously silent in contrast to the grating wine of the Imperial TIEs.

"Chewie, go tell the kids to man the guns," Han said, his brow shining with sweat.

"Belay that," Obi-Wan said. "We don't stand a chance against their firepower."

"Then what would you have me do?" Han asked.

"Wait and see," Obi-Wan said. That was the only choice they had.

The fighters shot past their viewport and in the sensor display Obi-Wan could see them taking up escort formation around the freighter.

The comm suddenly crackled to life and an even voice greeted them.

" _Unidentified vessel, do you copy?"_

Han looked at him and Obi-Wan nodded. Turning to the control panel, the captain keyed the comm and replied.

"This is Captain Han Solo of the _Millennium Falcon._ "

" _Well met, Captain Solo,"_ the voice replied.

"Who are you and why did you detain my ship?"

There was a long pause, the comm crackling as they awaited an answer. Han swallowed hard while Obi-Wan licked his lips in anticipation.

" _I am Commander Eli Vanto of the Expansionary Defense Fleet,_ " the voice said. _"Your ship and your crew are now under the protection and jurisdiction of the Chiss Ascendancy."_

Another pause, shorter than the last.

" _Any attempt at resistance will result in your deaths."_

The comm cut out and silence reigned. Their freighter continued to be pulled by the tractor beam with the fighter squadron escorting their wings. To an uncertain fate, they rapidly approached.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is hot off the press! I only finished it yesterday, and didn't really feel like editing it that thoroughly, so I apologize if there are some errors spread throughout. Since I'm writing two stories at once and classes are starting up in a few days, I doubt I'll be able to maintain my upload schedule. Somehow over the span of my (admittedly brief) fan fiction career, I've never experienced this predicament! So I ask you to bear with me if the updates become more sporadic. I'll do the best I can to get them out on time.
> 
> Anyway, I sort of lied in the last chapter note about this chapter being a fun one. It certainly was not. But the next one should be, I promise! Action and intrigue are coming up!


	13. Memories

Vader opened his eyes. He emerged from a deep, dreamless sleep. A sleep so profound he might as well have been dead. He didn't know where he was or how he had gotten here. All he knew was that he felt…

Light.

So very light.

He blinked once. Twice.

Vaguely he registered muffled voices in the distance. He didn't give them any thought. Instead he relished in his blissful lack of sensation. No pain, no frustration, no anything. His whole body hummed with a pleasant numbness.

Pain had been ubiquitous for him over the past sixteen years. The sudden absence of which made him feel euphoric; his mind unencumbered was bursting with possibility, with hope!

And that's when it all came crashing back down.

A fiery sensation coiled around the flesh where his mechanical limbs attached. White hot flashes flecked in front of his vision, his head now groaning with a dull ache.

Swinging his legs off the bunk, Vader held his head in his hands. The cool of the metal helped a bit, and by biting down on his tongue he mitigated the pain enough to be able to reassert authority over himself. Every day he fought this battle: mind against body, flesh against metal. And every day, no matter how trying, had to end in victory. For the Empire. For his master.

For his sanity.

Standing up, Vader was reminded that he no longer was wearing his armor. The bulk it provided was gone, and his sinewy torso was exposed to the open air. Goosebumps flared across the scarred skin and a bitter shiver ran down his spine. His eyes were similarly exposed and they felt quite dry and itchy. He rubbed them gingerly with his fist, taking care not to scratch a cornea by accident with a protruding screw or the sharp edge of imbricated metal.

It was then when he heard a voice utter his name.

"What about Vader?"

Alert in an instant, Vader's posture stiffened and he turned toward the noise. A strip of light could be seen underneath what he assumed must be a door. He approached, squinting in preparation as he approached. The door opened, and sure enough his dilated pupils screamed in protest. Staggering out of the room into the blindingly bright hallway, Vader was once again reoriented by the voices.

"The two of you should hide."

"What good will that do?"

Vader came to an abrupt halt. He recognized that second voice. That was the boy's voice.

His son's voice.

Heart beating very fast now, Vader quickened his pace. His eyes adjusted just in time for the hallway to curve and for him to arrive in a spacious cabin. Gathered around a checkered table in the corner of the room was a group of people, three of whom were seated on a padded bench while the rest stood. Vader noticed a Wookiee and what looked to be a Lasat amongst their ranks, but his curiosity quickly faded when his eyes found his enemy.

Kenobi.

The old Jedi hadn't noticed his arrival. He was facing away, just a sliver of his profile visible to Vader. He spoke with his hands as he so often did when trying to convince someone of his point of view.

"There's no point in fighting. Even if we could repel them, we'd never be able to get away because of the tractor beam."

"Then we'll disable it like last time," someone said.

Kenobi shook his head. "We had the element of surprise then. We won't be able to get out of the hangar bay this time around. If we try to make a break for it they'll seal the blast doors and trap us. Then we'll be as good as dead."

Vader figured this an opportune time to announce his presence. "As good as dead, you already are, Kenobi." Taking a long stride into the cabin, Vader raised his fist and lifted Kenobi into the air by his throat. With a jerk of his arm, he rotated the dangling man so he could see his face.

Two lightsabers activated at once. The wielders spun around and Vader saw that it was the renegade Jedi Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. An evil smile spread across his lips until he suddenly realized that he was unarmed. He was wearing no belt, and as a result, had no lightsaber clipped at his side.

"Vader," Jarrus growled through bared teeth.

Vader was not too proud to realize his predicament. He figured he could face Jarrus and Bridger alone, but not while simultaneously choking Kenobi. Prioritization was key. And so just before the two Jedi charged, Vader released his grip on his former master and dropped to the floor.

"No, stop!"

The green and blue blades slashed over his head harmlessly. Kicking out his left leg, Vader caught up Bridger's foot and sent him tumbling to the ground. Still low to the floor, he pirouetted around Bridger, easily avoided Jarrus' overhead blow, and leapt back into the air. Landing gracefully on the balls of his feet, Vader thrust a fist into the Jedi's chest and Jarrus went flying into the back wall with a deafening crash.

He sensed the next attack before it came. Four separate sets of blaster carbines pointed at him, three bolts striking him in the back, one hitting his neck. With no way to deflect them, Vader could only duck out of the way. The bolts sizzled overhead, but one grazed the flesh of his right shoulder. Incensed, Vader sprung around to disarm his enemies –

And stopped when a blue blade was pointed at his throat.

Kenobi glared at him down the hilt of his lightsaber, his eyes cold. Flanking Kenobi were the four gunmen who had fired on him. He saw the Wookiee and the Lasat accompanied by two humans, a leather-vested male and a Mandalorian-armor-clad female. All of them had their blasters trained on him, ready to fire if he so much as moved. Vader had no choice but to surrender.

"I see you're feeling better," Kenobi said.

"Much," Vader panted.

There was a tense moment as the pair stared at one another. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Mandalorian kneel down to help Bridger back to his feet. The young Jedi thanked her and quickly ignited his green blade.

"Don't hurt him!"

Bridger got shoved aside and Vader felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the sandy-haired boy push through the crowd to Kenobi's side. Sparing an anxious look for him, the boy grabbed Kenobi's robes and gave it a tug.

"Ben, please."

Kenobi lowered his blade a fraction, his eyes still fixed on Vader.

"I'm not going to kill him, Luke," Kenobi said.

The boy turned to him. "What about you?"

Vader blinked at the question. He didn't know what to say, utterly mesmerized by the boy's face.

"Promise you won't attack us again."

Vader continued to stare, his lips parted and his eyes wide.

"You heard him. Say you promise!"

A new voice caused Vader to look away. He hadn't noticed her at first, having been so focused on the boy, but standing at his side was a young girl, similarly aged as his son, he figured. She had long brown hair and pale skin bordering on pallid. Her arms were crossed and her expression was stern. Vader found it amusing for someone of such short stature to command such authority. But then again, he knew of one such woman who used to do just that.

"Very well," he folded.

"Say it!" the girl snapped.

Vader smirked. "I promise."

The girl didn't appreciate his facetious tone, but the boy seemed to be satisfied. "Lower your blasters," he said, holding up a hand to the gunmen behind him. "Go on! Do it!"

"I don't know, kid," the leather-vested man said.

"It's alright, Captain," Kenobi said. "Do as Luke says."

The four slowly lowered their carbines. What they didn't do was flick the safeties on their weapons, nor did they remove their thumbs from the triggers.

"So I'm your prisoner, then?" Vader asked Kenobi.

"At the moment it seems we're all prisoners," Kenobi replied.

Vader's brow twitched at this comment. "Come again?"

"I'd explain but time isn't really in abundance."

Vader couldn't help but smile dryly. "It never is," he said.

A flash of surprise registered across Kenobi's face. He stared at him a moment longer before lowering his lightsaber and extinguishing the blade. Bridger followed suit, although not without considerable reluctance. The Padawan gave him a suspicious look before skirting around him to assist his fallen master.

"Kanan, are you alright?" he asked.

Vader heard Jarrus groan in response.

"How is he, Ezra?" Kenobi asked.

"Hurt," Bridger replied.

"I see," Kenobi said grimly. "Then it seems you will be accompanying me instead."

"What, me?" Bridger asked.

"Not you," Kenobi said.

Vader belatedly realized what Kenobi had meant. "You want to keep an eye on me, do you?" he said.

"I require your assistance," Kenobi answered evenly.

"With what?"

"Our ship is being pulled aboard an alien vessel via tractor beam as we speak," Kenobi said. "We should be arriving in the hangar bay –" The ship shuddered and they all staggered a bit when they felt their momentum stop. "Right about now," Kenobi concluded.

"What sort of alien vessel?" Vader asked.

"A Star Destroyer of sorts. They said they were part of the Chiss Ascendency. Do you know of such an entity?"

Vader tilted his chin. The Chiss? Could this scenario get any more bizarre? "Oh yes," he said. "I know of them."

"All the more reason for you to accompany me," Kenobi said.

"Very well," Vader said. "Care to give me a weapon?"

"I think not," Kenobi said.

"I won't be of much assistance to you without a lightsaber."

"You demonstrated otherwise a few minutes ago."

Vader conceded the point with a shrug. "How about something to wear, then?" He gestured at his bare torso. "It's a bit nippy."

Once again, Kenobi seemed surprised by Vader's glibness. To be frank, Vader was surprised as well. He couldn't explain what he was feeling. The pain was of course still there, but it didn't debilitate him like it used to – the depressive pall which had always followed him no longer seemed to be there.

"I'll give you my cloak," Kenobi said. The Jedi removed the garment and threw it to him. "Satisfied?"

Vader wrinkled his nose at the scratchy fabric. His cape was of much higher quality than these rags. "Hardly," he answered. "But it will do."

"Master Kenobi?" the girl said as Vader swept the cape around his shoulders.

"Yes, Leia?"

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"No?"

The girl – Leia – gave him a wary look. "How do you know he isn't going to attack you again?"

Vader chuckled darkly. "How indeed?"

Kenobi frowned at him before attempting to assuage the girl. "I am armed and he is not," he said. "And besides –" his eyes darted back to him – "he owes me."

The peculiar levity faded in an instant at this spurious assessment. "Is that so?" Vader growled.

"Do you know how close you came to dying?" Kenobi said. "I would have left you for dead if it weren't for them." He hooked a thumb to the two children. Vader followed with his eyes and blinked with confusion.

"Them?" he echoed. "What did they do?"

"We pulled you out of the wreckage," Leia answered. "Luke didn't want to leave you behind."

Vader looked at the boy. He had saved him? But why? It made no sense.

"That's right, Vader," Kenobi said, an edge to his voice when he spoke his name. "You wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. And you wouldn't be standing and breathing if it weren't for me."

Vader raised his left arm and clenched the metal hand into a fist before Kenobi. "And what about this?" he asked menacingly. "What might this have been were it not for you?"

"Dwell on the past if you must," Kenboi said. "But know this: I am your only ally here. Once we step off this ship, we will only have each other to rely on."

"I would never consider you my ally," Vader spat, his face twisted with contempt.

"Do not conflate allies with friends," Kenobi said. "I am very much aware that we are not the latter."

Vader clenched his teeth. Leave it to Kenobi to win an argument with semantics. "Fine," he ground out. "Allies."

"Allies," Kenobi agreed.

"Let's just get this over with." Tying the cloak around his waist, Vader spun around and marched toward the exit without waiting for Kenobi to follow.

Vader didn't know where the exit was, but he knew enough about ships to figure it out on his own. Arriving at the hatch, he didn't hesitate to pull the lever to unfurl the ramp.

"You're awfully eager."

Glancing over his shoulder, Vader saw Kenobi approaching.

"As I said," Vader said, returning his attention to the opening hatch. "Let's get this over with."

Kenobi came to a stop next to him and Vader was struck with how short he was. Enhanced by his mechanical legs, Vader was much taller than Skywalker had been, but even so it was apparent that Kenobi had shrunk. He looked old, far older than he ought considering his age.

"If we get out of this alive, you and I need to talk," Kenobi said.

"I disagree," Vader rumbled. "We have nothing to discuss."

Kenobi hung his head. "I don't ask for forgiveness."

"I would never –" Vader began, but Kenobi cut him off.

"All I ask is that you listen."

Vader didn't get a chance to retort. The ramp finished unfurling and a puff of exhaust momentarily clouded their view. The haze cleared and Vader saw three officers awaiting them on the hangar platform: a human male on the left, a slender Chiss female on the right, but Vader spared them no mind, his eyes narrowed at the man in the middle.

"Thrawn," he said aloud.

His voice rang loudly in the spacious hangar bay. Thrawn didn't react, his posture rigid with his hands held behind his back and his chin raised. Vader noticed with great disdain that the grand admiral was still wearing his white uniform, the rank plaque on his chest glinting in the bright lights.

Vader had never trusted him, and here was the proof. Thrawn's true loyalties were never with the Emperor, but to his people, the Chiss.

"Gentlemen," Thrawn said. "Welcome aboard the _Steadfast._ "

"You're a traitor," Vader snarled.

Thrawn's blue lips twitched. A mocking smile, perhaps? "Lord Vader," he said calmly. "You look well." Thrawn's gaze shifted to Kenobi. "Your handiwork, I assume?"

"You assume correctly," Kenobi said, his voice tense.

"Most impressive," Thrawn said, eying Vader over. "He looks remarkably restored." Again, Thrawn's lips curled with the ghost of a smile. "Although I remembered him having more hair."

"Explain yourself, Thrawn," Vader demanded. "Why did you betray the Empire?"

"I have not betrayed the Empire," Thrawn replied.

"Then –"

"Join me, and we shall debrief," Thrawn cut in. He flourished a hand, beckoning them to disembark. Vader and Kenobi traded looks before deciding to do just that. As they descended, Vader glanced around to see a row of Chiss soldiers on either flank, stiffly at attention with blasters held to their chests. He couldn't tell whether they were an honor guard for them or backup for Thrawn. Perhaps both.

"May I introduce you to my colleagues," Thrawn said when they stopped in front of him. "Admiral Ar'alani," he said, gesturing to the Chiss on his right. "And this –" Vader detected Thrawn's voice warm a fraction when he turned to the human – "is Commander Eli Vanto."

"Well met," Kenobi said, diplomatic as always.

"You owe me an explanation, Thrawn," Vader hissed.

Thrawn stepped aside. "And I will gladly give you one," he said. "If you would follow me." Striding away with graceful gait, Thrawn guided them out of the hangar bay. Vanto and Ar'alani followed after him and an escort of Chiss soldiers approached to escort their flanks. Once again, Vader and Kenobi looked at each other before collectively deciding to obey.

They walked down a sleek hallway with a low, vaulted ceiling. The floors were a spotless black and the gridded walls were illuminated by a cold blue back light. Everything about this ship felt foreign to him, yet he couldn't explain why. Rationally he knew it to be no different from other Star Destroyers – or at least not different in any substantial way – but despite that he was disoriented and even a bit intimidated. How powerful were these Chiss? Could they pose a threat to the Empire? Had Thrawn's role been to infiltrate the Imperial Navy and report back on potential weaknesses? If so, Vader would have to fulfill the same role in reverse. His eyes were peeled. He would assess these Chiss: their strengths and weaknesses, their discipline and tactics. Then when he escaped – from both Kenobi and the Chiss – he would inform his master of his findings and together they would defeat their enemies.

But what of the boy? Vader couldn't leave without him. He couldn't leave him as Kenobi's prisoner, his acolyte-to-be. No, the boy had to be his priority. He would come with him. Vader would train him in the ways of the Sith. He would learn of power, not of foolish dogma as Kenobi would have it. His son would be strong like his father. Together, they could be invincible!

What would his master think of this? The question nagged at the back of his mind. He knew of the Rule of Two, the guiding dictum of the Sith. But surely this was an exception? And besides, it wasn't as if that rule wasn't malleable. While he was indeed his master's only apprentice, Vader suspected he was not the only other dark side wielder in the galaxy. During the Clone War Tyranus had trained many others despite being the apprentice himself. Perhaps Vader could frame his son's training in that way, as an assassin like Asajj Ventress or as a tool like Savage Opress. But his son was stronger than those myrmidons. He was not fated to be an assassin or tool but to become a great master! The Emperor was not likely to be easily fooled. He would realize his son's potential just as Vader had. This presented a challenge which he must overcome. His son _must_ be his. It was by _his_ side where he belonged, not any other! He would not permit his master to take him away from him.

With all these thoughts swirling in his mind Vader was too preoccupied to notice that they had come to a stop. Kenobi had to grab his arm to prevent him from walking into Thrawn's back. Vader was a bit red-faced at this gaffe, his embarrassment further enhanced by the reminder that everyone could see his face. Not having his suit and helmet would take some getting used to.

"Admiral Ar'alani has been so kind as to offer us her office," Thrawn said, turning to face him and Kenobi. "Gentlemen, after you." He gestured with his hand toward a door which slid open vertically. For a third time, Kenobi and he traded looks. "I assure you," Thrawn said, a glimmer of a smile on his lips, "I intend no trickery, if that is what you fear."

"Trickery?" Kenobi echoed.

"I harbor no illusions about being able to defeat a Jedi," Thrawn said. "Much less two."

Vader bristled. "I am not a Jedi."

A reaction, barely perceptible, flashed across the Chiss' face. Was he upset with himself? Or with something else? "Forgive me," he said. "I merely assumed…" His eyes drifted to Kenobi.

"Assumed what?" Vader asked darkly.

"It is no matter," Thrawn said. Once again he gestured to the door. "If you would."

Vader glowered at Thrawn a beat longer before ducking through the doorframe. Kenobi followed after him and the pair stood shoulder to shoulder as the rest filed in after them. He spared a glance for the Jedi out of the corner of his eye. What had Thrawn meant by those comments? All he knew was that the Chiss never _assumed_ anything. He induced, deduced, postulated, and hypothesized. His process was empirical; He never came to a conclusion without reason. So what had he seen to make him say such a thing?

Whatever the reasoning, Vader knew him to be wrong. He was no Jedi, no more than Kenobi was a Sith. There must have been a flaw in Thrawn's logic.

"You must have a great deal of questions."

The door sealed shut with a soft hiss and Thrawn walked around the desk to come into Vader's view. He stopped to the left of the admiral's chair on which Ar'alani promptly sat down. To her right Vanto stood rigidly at attention. It was an odd arrangement. While this was Ar'alani's ship and her office, none were deluded into thinking that anyone but Thrawn was in charge of the room. With a gentle probe into the Force, Vader thought he could sense the admiral's displeasure at this arrangement, or perhaps he was projecting. He had come to learn that the Chiss were a notoriously difficult people to read.

"So," Thrawn said when neither he nor Kenobi spoke, "ask away."

"You betrayed the Emperor's trust," Vader said viciously. "You're a traitor and a liar!"

Thrawn sighed. "That is not a question, but an accusation," he said. "And a baseless one at that."

"Baseless? Why else would you be aboard this ship?"

"I can think of several reasons, many of which do not include treason."

"Such as?"

"Perhaps the Emperor dismissed me from the Imperial Navy after what happened aboard the _Chimaera._ "

"Did he?"

Thrawn angled his head. "What do you think?"

"I see you still have your uniform," Vader pointed out.

"Indeed."

"And the Emperor would never dismiss you."

"Oh no?"

"You are far too valuable to him. He desires your knowledge of the Unknown Regions."

"My knowledge, yes. My services, less so."

Vader said nothing to this. He crossed his arms, making it clear that he had had enough of Thrawn's games and wanted an answer. The Chiss was for once amenable.

"Your capture at the hands of the Rebels put the Emperor in a foul mood, to put things lightly," Thrawn said. "He blames me for the incident."

"And so you decided to cut your losses and flee," Vader said.

"Flee? I think not. Perhaps retreat would be a more apt metaphor." Thrawn brushed down the front of his spotless uniform, his red eyes a bit distant. "You know of my objection to Moff Tarkin's project, do you not, Lord Vader?"

Vader frowned at this non-sequitur. "You expressed your concerns quite clearly," he said.

"From a tactical standpoint, such a project is a horrific waste of military resources. A boondoggle on the most massive scale."

Vader sensed there was more to it than that. "And?" he prompted.

Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "Have you no qualms with this project's intent?"

Vader's throat tightened, discomfort worming its way into his stomach. Fortunately he was spared from having to answer when Kenobi cut in.

"To what project are you referring?" he asked.

Vader raised a metal finger to prevent Thrawn from answering. "You will not speak of this," he said. "This secret belongs with the Empire."

"It will hardly remain that way for long," Thrawn said.

"If you divulge this secret you would be committing treason against the Empire," Vader said. "As servant to the Emperor I would be forced to kill you."

There was a tense pause. Thrawn stared at him unblinkingly, his expression cool and unreadable as always. "Very well," he said. "If you insist."

"I do," Vader said briskly.

"Then we will be forced to speak in vague terms," Thrawn said. "This project presents a grave threat not only to my people, but to the galaxy in its entirety. Surely you must agree with that."

"It is a threat to those who oppose the Empire," Vader said through gritted teeth.

"But such a tool can only use the broadest strokes," Thrawn said, clearly struggling to find an opaque way to articulate himself. "It operates without compunction."

"Meaning?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean, Lord Vader," Thrawn said coolly.

He did, of course. The Death Star was a brutal weapon, there could be no denying that. But brutality brought stability. Would all those who were killed by the Death Star in the future be guilty of treason against the Empire? Perhaps not. But that was the sacrifice they had to make to ensure peace.

"The Emperor plans to go ahead with this project," Thrawn said. "As a consequence, he informed me that the TIE Defender project which I spearheaded has been scrapped."

"I see," Vader said.

"You can appreciate my dilemma, can't you?"

"I see a man whose loyalty to the Emperor is wavering," Vader said, his voice low and ominous. "The Emperor knows what is best. If he chooses to scrap your project in favor of Tarkin's, you and I both must accept that."

For once Thrawn expressed some frustration, red eyes flashing and blue lips curling into a sneer. "A simpleton's solution," he spat.

Vader was startled. He had never seen Thrawn speak with such vehemence. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Vanto blink a few times in surprise as well.

"The man I met on Batuu all those years ago would never speak as you do," Thrawn said.

A memory flashed before him of a young man on a desperate quest to rescue the one he loved. Vader's expression hardened.

"Anakin Skywalker is dead."

Thrawn glanced briefly at Kenobi. "Some might think otherwise," he said.

With that the grand admiral made his leave. The door closed behind him and Vader stared off into space, still steeped in the memory of his distant past.

Δ Δ Δ

Vader refused to speak with him. After their discussion with Thrawn, he stormed back to the hangar bay and locked himself in the bedroom on the _Falcon._ Obi-Wan pounded on the door, intensely frustrated by Vader's petulance.

"Come on, open up," he demanded. He hesitated, fist hovered in the air as he recollected the many times in the past when he had fought the same fruitless fight with his young Padawan.

" _Anakin,"_ he would say with the impatience of a reluctant master who dreaded the responsibility foisted upon him. _"Stop your sulking."_

Perhaps in retrospect he hadn't handled the situation well. Anakin gave his best, but there was only so much abuse he could put up with. As a boy he was bullied mercilessly by his peers. They made fun of him for his slave origins and despised him for the preferential treatment they figured he received from the Council. But Anakin never saw it as such. For the lonely young boy, the Council's fascination with him placed him under a great deal of stress which Obi-Wan never learned how to address.

"Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan looked away from the door. Down the hallway he saw Luke and Leia watching him with mixed expressions of curiosity and apprehension. His gaze lingered on the boy, he looking so much like the one he had just been thinking about.

"What's happening?" Luke asked.

"A good question," Obi-Wan said with a sigh. He was as much in the dark as the children were. Obi-Wan didn't know what to make of Vader's conversation with Thrawn. They clearly had understood each other, but Obi-Wan hadn't been able to decipher the many codes and euphemisms in which they spoke. Of what project were they making reference? It sounded like a weapon of sorts, and based on the grand admiral's dire tone, an extremely deadly one.

"Where are the others?" Obi-Wan asked.

"In the main hold," Leia said. "Come on." With an authority that contradicted her years, Leia turned on her heel and led them away down the hallway. Obi-Wan hesitated before following, glancing once more at the closed door. There wasn't anything he could do. Whenever Anakin – or rather Vader – was in a mood like this he figured it best to back off and give him some space.

He arrived in the main hold to find the rest of the group. Jarrus was seated on the padded couch, Sabine at his side. The man held an ice pack to the back of his head. Leaning against the back wall with his brawny arms crossed was Zeb. The Lasat's pale yellow eyes followed Bridger as the Padawan paced back and forth. He seemed quite agitated.

"They're back," Leia announced.

The Spectres all turned to see him in the doorway. Jarrus stood up with a slight grimace.

"What happened?" he asked. "Where's Vader?"

"In his room," Obi-Wan said. "He was rather upset."

"By the Chiss?" Bridger asked, having ceased pacing. "What did they want?"

"Hard to say," Obi-Wan said. He took a few steps into the room and placed a hand to the wall to stabilize himself. He felt a bit weary all of a sudden. "I think they want our cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Leia echoed. "You mean they want to help fight the Empire?"

Obi-Wan considered. "I cannot tell," he said. "The grand admiral did not express his intentions clearly."

There was a moment of stunned silence. "The grand admiral?" Bridger said. "You mean… Thrawn?"

"The very same," Obi-Wan said.

Bridger and Jarrus traded incredulous looks. "I don't understand," the former said.

"Neither did Vader," Obi-Wan said. "He seems to believe Thrawn has betrayed the Empire."

"And what do you think?" Jarrus asked.

"Thrawn insisted otherwise, but it certainly seems like he is far from concordant with the Emperor. He was discussing some sort of project which he takes great issue with."

"What sort of project?" Bridger asked.

"Could it be the one on Lothal?" Sabine said.

"No, it can't be that," Bridger said. "Thrawn supports that one, remember?"

"What project on Lothal?" Obi-Wan asked.

"They're designing a new TIE fighter," Jarrus answered. "It's got shields and heavy weapons."

"The Defender," Bridger shuddered.

That rang a bell with Obi-Wan. "Defender, you say? Thrawn mentioned that."

"He did?" Bridger said.

"He mentioned that the project had been scrapped."

Bridger's mouth fell open. "Scrapped?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Jarrus said. "Those Defenders are way too valuable."

"Apparently not," Obi-Wan said. "It sounds as if the Empire has bigger plans in mind."

"Bigger indeed."

Obi-Wan started to the doorway at the unfamiliar voice. There he saw a young man watching their conversation: Commander Vanto.

"Who are you?" Sabine asked.

Vanto took a step into the main hold, Luke and Leia skirting out of his way. "I am Commander Eli Vanto," Vanto said.

"You're human," Bridger said.

A dry smile touched Vanto's lips. "I am," he said meekly.

"But you're with the Chiss. Why?"

"For the same reason you are with the Rebellion, Ezra Bridger."

Bridger gulped. "How do you know who I am?"

"The grand admiral keeps me apprised," Vanto said.

"You work for Thrawn?" Jarrus asked.

"I do," Vanto said.

Obi-Wan wasn't surprised. There was a strange calm about this young man which Thrawn likewise exuded. He suspected the grand admiral had molded Vanto in such a way as to make him similarly efficient as he; Vanto was his apprentice or protégé of sorts.

"Perhaps you could explain better than the grand admiral what exactly is going on here," Obi-Wan said.

Vanto turned his eyes on him, and again Obi-Wan was struck with the man's similarity with the grand admiral. His demeanor was cool and collected, his gaze calculating and incisive. Reaching out into the Force, Obi-Wan was unable to get a read on him. Unsurprising.

"That is exactly why I am here," Vanto said. "Grand Admiral Thrawn was hoping Lord Vader would be more cooperative but alas he was not. I will therefore explain what the grand admiral could not in Vader's presence."

"Why doesn't Thrawn himself come?" Obi-Wan asked.

"He figured his presence would agitate certain members of your entourage," Vanto said, eyes darting to Bridger and Jarrus.

"Ah," Obi-Wan said. "Perhaps that was prudent of him."

Vanto smiled. "Thrawn is nothing if not prudent." The levity slipped away from his face. "I will get to the crux of the matter: the galaxy is about to be thrust into turmoil."

"It already is," Bridger said. "In case you haven't noticed, the Empire is crushing anyone that stands in its way."

"The Empire is but one part of this galaxy," Vanto said.

"Meaning?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The Chiss Ascendency is on the brink of civil war just as the Galactic Empire is," Vanto said grimly. "Thrawn believes he can prevent both disasters from ensuing, but in order to do so he needs your help."

"Our help?" Obi-Wan said questioningly.

"In part," Vanto said. "But mostly he needs Vader."

"That will never happen," Obi-Wan said at once.

"Many things lie within the realm of impossibility, Master Kenobi," Vanto said. "This I believe is not one of them."

"How would you know?" Obi-Was asked, his tone sharper than intended.

"I know that Thrawn and Lord Vader were once allies," Vanto said, disregarding the hostility in Obi-Wan's question. "Is it so difficult to believe they could be allies once again?"

Obi-Wan thought back to Thrawn's comments to Vader. It seemed as if they had known each other back when Vader had been Anakin. When could that have happened? During the Clone War?

"What do you know of Thrawn and Vader's relationship?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Not much," Vanto admitted. "But I know the grand admiral held Lord Vader in high esteem when he went by that other name."

Luke was quick to interject. "What other name?" he asked.

Obi-Wan tensed. Perhaps sensing his reaction, Vanto remained silent.

"Ben?" Luke prompted. "What's he talking about?"

He didn't know what to do. Staring back at Luke, Obi-Wan felt himself frozen with indecision.

"Tell him," he heard Jarrus say. "It's been long enough."

Obi-Wan shot the man an irritable look.

"Tell me what?" Luke pressed. The boy looked angry, his fists clenched and his jaw set. He was done with not knowing. Obi-Wan had no choice.

"Perhaps we should go elsewhere," Obi-Wan proposed.

"No," Luke said. "Tell me now."

Such spirit. Luke was more like his father than Obi-Wan had first realized. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

"Very well," Obi-Wan conceded, his voice tired. He looked beyond Vanto down the hallway where Vader was still brooding. "As you might suspect, Vader and I have a history," he said. "I've known him since he was a boy, far younger than you are now." He closed his eyes and fought off that strange mixture of nostalgia and remorse that he always experienced when thinking of that boy. His friend and brother. "He was my Padawan."

"Your Padawan?" He could hear the incredulity in Luke's voice. "You mean he used to be a Jedi?"

"He was a cunning warrior," Obi-Wan said with a half-smile which quickly faded. "And he was a good friend." Memories flooded his mind, some happy, most bittersweet. He stowed them away, forcing himself to remain in the present. Luke deserved as much.

"His name was Anakin Skywalker," he said.

Luke's eyes widened with disbelief. In spite of himself, Obi-Wan smiled weakly.

"Your father."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished _Thrawn: Alliances_ and despite it being considered the worst of the trilogy (at least based on the reviews I read) I thought it was fantastic! I enjoyed it more than the first Thrawn book, but maybe that's just because I love the inclusion of Anakin and Padmé. Regardless, I am including some details from _Alliances_ in this story, as you can see in this chapter. I'd like to reiterate that you don't have to be familiar with Zahn's books in order to enjoy this story. It's not crucial at all that you know the specifics of Thrawn and Vader's enigmatic relationship, just know that they have one. Anyway, thanks for reading! Next chapter will start with Luke's reaction to the bombshell that Vader is his father.


	14. Ablaze

_He helped people, Luke._

_He was a cunning warrior._

_He never lost sight of who he was._

_And a good friend._

_Anakin Skywalker._

_Your father._

Luke felt sick.

Without knowing where he was going, he fled from the _Falcon_ and sprinted down the slick hallways of the alien ship. He knew it was risky, but he couldn't bear to stay.

How could they have kept that from him? Ben, Kanan, Yoda, Bendu – had they all known? Had they all conspired to hide the truth from him?

If so, he could understand why. Of course he was angry at them, but a part of him wished he could unlearn what he had learned, that this secret could go back into its box, tucked away and hidden from him.

Because the truth was too terrible. After everything he had heard and everything he had imagined about his father, this was what had become of him. A husk of a man, held together by metal and enmity. How could the man whom Rex spoke so highly of descend to such depressing depths? It didn't make any sense.

But more than that, it hurt. The version of his father which he had believed in – now known to be little more than a figment of his imagination – had been so important to him. The idea of Anakin Skywalker gave him purpose and vindication. And now he was gone, carried away by a brisk wind and never to return again.

And Luke was left alone without direction, without cause. He felt like such an idiot.

He also felt cold. Luke started back to his senses when he realized he was lost. Through blurred vision he had somehow stumbled across a dark, frigid room. There were several strange looking devices, circular daises of sorts that emitted a muted blue light at the base. Luke approached one curiously. Rubbing his arms together, he peered down at the platform. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but Luke found himself taking a step up to stand atop it.

Luke was startled when the room began to spin. He held his arms out to stabilize himself, but he realized it wasn't him that was moving, but the walls. More specifically, the images projected on the walls. The night sky encircled him, the countless constellations twinkling cheerily. Luke looked around in awe, head craned upward to appreciate the full enormity of this chamber. It was a much larger space than he had initially realized.

A voice suddenly snapped at him and Luke nearly fell off the dais in fright. Spinning around, he saw a young girl looking at him with a most discontented scowl. She had blue skin, red eyes, and trimly cut black-blue hair. A Chiss, Luke belatedly realized.

"What?" he called.

The girl said something to him which Luke couldn't understand.

"I'm sorry, I don't –"

A second voice speaking the same foreign language sounded from behind him and Luke twisted around to see who it was. Locking eyes with the red-eyed man, Luke felt his heart stop.

"Luke Skywalker," Thrawn said. "We meet again."

Luke leapt off the dais and backed away. "Stay away from me!" he snarled.

Thrawn raised a hand, the other held behind his back. "I mean you no harm," he said. His gaze then shifted to the girl. He spoke to her again in that strange tongue. Luke had never heard a language like it; It was sibilant yet smooth, a pleasant drawl which conveyed eloquence and sophistication.

Having listened to what Thrawn had to say, the girl looked at him. Luke stopped a few feet away from her.

" _Ozyly-esehembo,_ " she said.

Luke gave her a blank look. "What?"

"She is saying your name," Thrawn said. "In the Cheunh language, _ozyly-esehembo_ roughly translates to Skywalker."

Luke felt his fear trickle away, curiosity taking its place. "It does?" he said.

Thrawn took a step forward, his face dappled by the gentle light of the stars above and around. "Incidentally, Um'ala here is a Skywalker as well. Of sorts."

Luke again looked at the girl – Um'ala. She blinked at him benignly, her red eyes no longer expressing hostility but intent fascination.

"Sky-walkers are Force-sensitive Chiss who help us navigate the stars." Thrawn flourished his hand to the dome. "This room is where we keep record of the paths Um'ala charts through the unstable hyperlanes of the Chaos."

"The Chaos?" Luke echoed.

"The space that lies outside of the Ascendency's borders," Thrawn explained. A wry smile touched the grand admiral's lips. "You might say that the Empire is in Chaos."

Luke didn't know whether to laugh or not. He elected to remain silent.

"Come with me, Luke Skywalker," Thrawn requested. "I suspect we have much to discuss." Without waiting for him to follow, Thrawn turned on his heel and walked away. Luke watched him retreat for a moment. Feeling the girl's eyes on him, Luke spared a glance for Um'ala. She didn't say anything – not that he could understand her if she did.

"Uh… I guess I'll be going," Luke said. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Luke turned away and followed after Thrawn out of the chamber. Once in the hallway, Luke found the grand admiral waiting for him.

"Do your companions know that you left the freighter?" Thrawn asked him.

"No," Luke said, his voice mousy.

"They might be concerned," Thrawn said.

Right on cue, Luke heard a voice call out his name accompanied by loud footsteps.

"Luke!"

Turning to the sound, Luke saw Leia running toward him, her ill-fitting cloak billowing behind her. She pounded to a stop and doubled over to gasp for air.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked.

"I…I…" She stood back upright. "I'm fine," she managed. "Just a bit… out of breath."

"I can see that," Luke said dryly.

Leia frowned at him. "What are you doing here? Why did you leave the _Falcon?_ " Her gaze shifted rightward and for the first time she noticed Thrawn. Realizing who he was, her eyes narrowed and she extended an arm to Luke, to protect him perhaps? "You!" she exclaimed.

"Princess Leia," Thrawn greeted in turn, his voice even as always. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Leia faltered at his cordiality. Unsure of what to say, she turned back to Luke. "Are you alright?" she asked him. "He's not troubling you, is he?" Leia shot a nasty look for Thrawn who did not react.

"No," Luke said.

"Well come on." Leia grabbed him by the arm – something she had done dozens of times over the past few days – and began pulling him down the hallway. Luke at first allowed her to do this, limp as always in her grasp, but something made him stop. Locking his legs like a stubborn eopie, he turned back to Thrawn.

"Anakin Skywalker," he said. "You knew him, didn't you?"

Thrawn's unflappable countenance revealed nothing. "A long time ago," the grand admiral said.

"What did you think about him?" Luke asked.

For a long while Thrawn was silent. He considered Luke's face with shrewd, analytical eyes. The scrutiny made him more than a bit uncomfortable.

"Anakin Skywalker was many things," Thrawn said finally. "Bold, brash, brilliant. A great warrior. A flawed man." There was a pause as Thrawn's gaze momentarily shifted to Leia. "His priorities were, I'm afraid, misaligned."

"What does that mean?" Luke asked, at once indignant on behalf of his father – or rather, the version of his father he had created for himself.

"Perhaps Master Kenobi would be better suited to answer that question," Thrawn said.

Luke flinched. He didn't want to talk to Ben. "I asked you."

Thrawn seemed amused, a subtle smile at the corner of his lips. Condescending, perhaps, but Luke didn't care. He just wanted answers.

"Let's just say that the heart outweighed the mind," Thrawn said.

Luke didn't know what to make of that. Was Thrawn suggesting Vader had a heart? Luke had yet to see that from that cold and bitter man.

_Luke._

_Help me._

But maybe…

Maybe he could find it.

"Luke," Leia said in his ear, her tone urgent. "Let's go."

"Okay," Luke said absently. Leia began to drag him away again, but Luke resisted for a moment longer. "Thank you," he called to Thrawn.

Now it was Thrawn's time to be surprised, a barely perceptible flicker of confusion passing his stoic face. "What for?" he asked.

"For telling the truth."

Thrawn considered, his expression grave. "A powerful tool, when used correctly, the truth may be," he said. "I trust you will use it correctly, Luke Skywalker. For all of our sakes." With a nod, Thrawn turned and ambled away. Luke and Leia watched him go for a moment, the former intrigued, the latter distressed.

"Luke," Leia pleaded. "Come on."

"Alright," Luke folded.

They walked back in the direction whence Leia had come. Luke stared at his feet as he considered Thrawn's words.

"Luke?"

Leia was giving him a concerned look. Their arms linked, Luke considered their bond for a moment. With her at his side, anything felt possible. Even the task ahead, as foreboding as it might seem, was less terrifying with her there to support him.

"Would you do something for me?" he asked.

"Of course," Leia said at once.

Luke smiled weakly. "Okay," he said. "Let's go then."

"Where?" Leia asked.

"You'll see."

Δ Δ Δ

"I don't know about this, Thrawn."

_Ar'alani's voice holds tension, as does her posture. Her lips are compressed and the muscles lining her throat taut._

"Your doubts are well documented," Thrawn said dryly.

Ar'alani blew a heavy breath from her lips. "What do you think, Commander?" she asked, turning.

 _There is a flicker of a smile on Eli's lips, far too subtle for Ar'alani to notice._ "Respectfully, Admiral, I have come to trust Thrawn's judgement on these matters."

"On military matters, he knows no equal. That cannot be denied." _Ar'alani's eyes flick to him. They are narrowed, yet not with contempt, but with shrewd skepticism._ "But when it comes to politics…"

"Is this a matter of politics?" Thrawn asked.

"Not conventionally, no," Ar'alani conceded.

"Then what is the problem?"

 _The admiral swallows visibly, the strain still very much present in her stiff posture._ "You claim to understand Vader."

"Better than most, I do believe," Thrawn said, nodding his head.

"I would be remiss not to remind you that you have been wrong before."

Thrawn felt his features harden. "No, Admiral," he said. "I'm afraid you would be remiss to dredge up such ancient events."

"Ancient?" Ar'alani questioned, a brow raised.

"Have I not proven myself to you? After everything we have been through together?"

"Of course you have," Ar'alani assured him. "But I know you, Thrawn. You're brilliant, but you have a tendency to overestimate the value of your deductions."

Thrawn could respect that. With anyone else he might have shot down the criticism, but Ar'alani knew him well – perhaps better than anyone, himself included. He would never be so vain as to ignore her feedback, critical or otherwise.

"For what it's worth, I feel extremely confident in my deductions," Thrawn said.

"Don't you always?"

Thrawn felt himself smiling. "I suppose I do."

This lighthearted remark was met with a knock at the door. Thrawn turned at the waist toward the sound.

"Are you expecting visitors?" Eli asked the admiral.

"No, she is not," Thrawn answered for her. "But I am." He waved to the control panel on the wall. The door opened vertically to reveal the man he had hoped to see. "Master Kenobi," he greeted, effortlessly switching from Cheunh to Basic. "Welcome."

 _The Jedi looks uncomfortable, his eyes furtive and his brow sweaty._ "Forgive me for intruding," he began.

"You are doing nothing of the sort," Thrawn insisted. "Come." He stepped aside and beckoned Kenobi to assume his spot by Ar'alani's desk. Kenobi did so cautiously.

"I spoke to Commander Vanto earlier," he said. _The Jedi's tone is subdued, practically mumbling._ "I figured we ought to speak face to face."

"Indeed," Thrawn agreed. He walked around the desk toward Ar'alani's side – if not a breach of protocol, at least a breach of convention. Not that anybody in this room cared about such things. "What would you like to discuss, Master Kenobi?"

"What do you want with Vader?"

Straight to the point. Admirable.

"His cooperation," Thrawn answered.

"More specifically," Kenobi demanded. _There is a weariness to his voice, his determination strangely belied. The lines on his face are deep, the bags under his eyes heavy. His robes are similarly disheveled, the hem mottled with mud stains._

"Thrawn?" Ar'alani prompted.

Thrawn looked away from Kenobi. "Yes?"

"Are you going to answer the Jedi's question?"

Kenobi was watching this exchange with a frown, being unable to understand the Cheunh. "I would appreciate some degree of transparency," he said.

"And we are more than ready to provide it," Thrawn said.

"Do you intend to wage war against the Empire?" Kenobi asked.

Thrawn's eyes found Ar'alani's. _Her gaze is strident, the message there clear._ "No," Thrawn said, as much to her as to Kenobi. "I do not."

"But you are no longer an asset to the Emperor?"

"That will depend."

"On what?"

"On Vader."

 _The Jedi stares at him silently for a moment; his aged countenance a blank canvas, unreadable to him._ "I suspect our goals might overlap when it comes to Vader," he said finally.

"I am sure of it," Thrawn said.

"Are you?"

"Very much so."

 _The Jedi gives him a long look, the suspicion slowly ebbing._ "Explain it to me, then," he said. "What do you want with Vader?"

"On the contrary, I would rather explain what you want with Vader."

"Why is that?" Kenobi asked, frowning.

"As you say, our goals overlap," Thrawn said. "Besides, I wish to test the accuracy of my deductions."

 _The Jedi considers for a moment before shrugging._ "Very well."

Thrawn flashed Ar'alani a look before beginning. "You wish Lord Vader to be restored to his previous identity as Anakin Skywalker, your close friend and colleague during the Clone War." _The Jedi's brow twitches, surprise momentarily flitting across his face, but he is quick to reassume a neutral expression._ "You hope to use his son, Luke, to achieve this end."

"I wouldn't put it so coldly as that," Kenobi said.

"Forgive me," Thrawn said, a smile in his voice. "My analysis can come across in that way, but that does not make it any less accurate. I am correct on both counts, am I not?"

"Broadly speaking, yes," Kenobi said.

"Then you know my aims as well."

"For Vader to become Anakin once more?"

"Precisely."

"I fear you and I will be disappointed," Kenobi said grimly.

"You don't have faith?"

 _The Jedi's lips twitch, his expression rueful._ "Unfortunately that's about all I have."

Silence filled the air. Thrawn looked down at Ar'alani's desk, his fingers absently drumming against its sleek surface.

"There is one thing that confuses me, Master Kenobi," Thrawn said.

"What's that?" Kenobi asked.

"You hope the boy will sway Vader," Thrawn said.

"I do," Kenobi said with only a moment of pause.

"But what of the girl?"

 _The Jedi stares at him blankly, blinking a few times in bewilderment._ "The girl?" he echoed.

"The Princess of Alderaan," Thrawn elaborated.

 _The Jedi's facial heat increases._ "I don't understand," he said. _His posture is guarded, arms folded in front of his chest._

"I met her just a few minutes ago," Thrawn said.

"Did you?"

"The Chiss notions of family are quite different than those of humans," Thrawn said. "I belong to the Mitth, but I am not related to anyone in the family by blood. We place less importance on such things."

 _The creases in the Jedi's forehead deepen with confusion._ "And this is relevant how?"

"I have spent many years amongst the ranks of humans. I see patterns, Master Kenobi. Humans treat their blood relatives in a certain way, much different than the Chiss, and while I can readily admit there is a broad spectrum of behavior amongst such a vast and diverse species, I also cannot deny what I saw between young Skywalker and the Princess."

 _The Jedi's lips stiffen and his face drains of color._ "They are friends," he said between clenched teeth.

"Certainly," Thrawn agreed.

"Nothing more."

"I disagree," Thrawn said. "You see, I never come to conclusions based on single threads of logic. Certainty is derived from the intertwining of multiple tresses, a braid of assurance, if you will."

"First I've heard of it," Ar'alani muttered in Cheun.

Thrawn shot the admiral a look before continuing. "Did General Skywalker ever tell you about how we first met?"

Kenobi shook his head. "He did not."

"Unsurprising," Thrawn said. "I found him in pursuit of a missing Republic ambassador."

 _The Jedi stiffens._ "An ambassador, you say?"

"Indeed. The trail led us to a world called Mokivj where we encountered a secret Separatist factory."

"Intriguing," Kenobi said, although his tone indicated no such interest, only tension.

"It was on Mokivj where we found the missing ambassador. I believe you already know who she was." _The Jedi says nothing, his eyes darting to the floor._ "Senator Amidala was an admirable woman. I was disheartened to learn that she passed."

"As was I," Kenobi managed, his voice throaty.

"It just so happens that the senator bears a striking resemblance to Princess Leia, wouldn't you agree?"

Again, Kenobi remained silent, the guilt evident in his features.

"In war, Master Kenobi, we all have our weapons. Our tools. Our cards. Choose whatever metaphor you prefer." He strolled behind Ar'alani and paced around the desk. Kenobi followed him with his eyes as Thrawn approached the door. Pressing his hand to the control panel, he opened the door and stood rigidly by its frame. "In times as dire as these, I advise you to employ your full arsenal."

Kenobi stared at him, his torso twisted at the waist to meet his gaze. A beat passed and he turned away from Ar'alani's desk to take a step toward him.

"I suppose you're right," he said. _His voice is heavy, as is there is an invisible burden on his shoulders which sag under the strain. He attempts a small smile, a futile attempt at levity._ "Guns blazing, as you military sort like to say."

Thrawn glanced at Eli who quickly nodded back at him. "I have never heard the phrase," Thrawn said. "But I can glean its meaning."

Kenobi seemed amused. "I daresay you can." Turning to offer the admiral a courteous nod, the Jedi Master strode past Thrawn and out of the office.

"What was that all about?" Ar'alani asked once the door was closed.

"I thought Commander Vanto taught you Basic," Thrawn said, frowning as he walked back to his former aide's side.

"Oh, he did," Ar'alani said. "It's passable enough, but I still have no idea what you two were talking about."

Thrawn's lips stretched into a thin, humorless smile. "That was my final push," he said. "Now we can do nothing but let fate play its course."

Δ Δ Δ

Vader had locked himself in the room on the freighter. For a long while he had brooded on the bunk, waiting for Kenobi to leave. The Jedi was quite determined, as Vader recalled him being back when had been his master, but after ten minutes he finally left.

Now Vader was on his feet, pacing a bit as he considered his restored body. He had taken off the cowl and was running a finger gingerly along the scars of his torso. They were still there, but they felt less deep, somehow. Whereas they had once hurt to touch, sending a flare of pain through his body whenever he mistakenly did so, now they were superficial and benign, mere blights to the flesh and nothing more. His face was similarly restored. The most prominent scar, a jagged stripe on the left half of his skull, had faded into a mundane blotch – a birth mark, perhaps, to the unwitting observer. It was with some curiosity that he noted that the scar he had earned in his youth, the thin line above and below his right eye, remained unchanged.

There was a knock at the door. Vader glowered in its direction. Had Kenobi returned?

"Open up!" an urgent voice demanded. "We need to talk. Now."

Vader felt his mouth go dry. It wasn't Kenobi at the door. He almost wished it was.

"Come on! I know you're in there!"

Vader summoned his courage and took two steps to the door. Hand hesitating over the control panel, he closed his eyes and reached out into the Force. His son's presence was right in front of him, but he wasn't alone.

He mashed the control panel and the door opened to reveal the princess standing a step behind his son in the hallway. Vader gave her a hard look. Who was she to consider herself his son's friend? She was dangerous, no doubt filling his head with lies about the purported evil of the Empire.

"We need to talk," the boy said again.

Vader looked down at him. His son was determined, yes, but his expression was not without wariness. He feared him.

Good.

"What do we have to discuss?" Vader asked.

The boy gulped. "I, uh…" He suddenly seemed unable to speak. Vader frowned and took a step back, seeking to alleviate some of his discomfort. At least this way he wouldn't have to crane his head to look at him.

"Yes?" Vader prompted.

Luke looked to his companion. Whereas he seemed nervous, she was a shining image of confidence, her features stern and her posture regal. Understanding the boy's dilemma, the princess elected to speak on his behalf.

"We know who you are," she said. "Who you _really_ are."

Vader stared at her. "Meaning?" he asked.

She didn't avert his frigid gaze. "You're Luke's father."

Tense scarcely seemed an adequate descriptor for the silence that ensued. Vader felt his whole body stiffen as he seethed at the girl. Of all people, _she_ knew? Had Kenobi told her? He had no right! How dare he!

The princess' confidence seemed to wane, withering under his fiery glare. He clenched his metal hands into fists and took a step toward her –

"No, don't!"

The boy jumped in front of him. Startled, Vader looked down at him. He held a hand to his chest, his touch sending a rippling sensation through his torso. Vader was frozen.

"You won't hurt her."

Hurt her? He wasn't going to hurt her. He would never –

The girl was cowering by the door frame, her eyes shining as she caressed her throat. Had he…? No, he hadn't meant to… he hadn't intended…

_Let her go._

Vader staggered back a step, his son's hand slipping from his chest. "Leave," he demanded.

"But –"

"Now!"

The boy flinched, but his resolve didn't waver. He hurried to the princess' side. "Are you okay?' he asked her.

"Yeah," she said, although her voice was shaking. "Let's just go."

"No," the boy said, eyes flicking back to Vader. "We're not done here." The confidence was back, his eyes ablaze with anger. "You don't get to run away from me," he said to him.

Run? No, he would never… he couldn't…

"What… do you want from me?" Vader's voice felt small. _He_ felt small. He towered over the boy, yet it felt as if he were looking up at him.

"To do what's right," his son said.

He always did what was right. For her… for him…

"You need to turn against the Empire."

Vader felt himself snap back to his senses. "The Empire brings order and justice to the galaxy," he intoned.

"No it doesn't! It sows chaos and violence!"

Vader pointed a finger at the impudent boy. "You have been lied to," he rumbled.

"Lied to?" the boy echoed, aghast.

"Kenobi lies! This girl lies!" He spun to the princess. "She is your enemy!"

The boy held an arm in front of the girl who began to tremble before his wrath. "Leia is my friend," he said calmly.

"I want her gone," Vader demanded. "I will not speak with you in her presence. She has no right to be here."

His son began to offer a retort, but he was cut off when the door opened behind him. He and the girl spun around and Vader felt himself grow red with fury when he saw who was in the hallway.

_You're with him!_

"Kenobi," he growled.

"Anakin," the Jedi responded.

Vader nearly exploded. Only the reminder that he had nearly strangled the girl moments earlier kept him in check. He clenched his fists furiously, his mechanical limps straining, his shoulders screaming.

Kenobi took a step into the room. The two children stepped aside in tandem to grant him entry.

"Why are you here?" he asked Kenobi.

"You're wrong, Anakin," the Jedi said without answering the question.

Vader suppressed his renewed swell of fury. "What about?" he asked between clenched teeth.

"You said Leia had no right to be here. You're wrong."

Vader blinked. He didn't know what Kenobi was on about, his brain too addled with anger to think properly. "Why is that?" he asked.

Kenobi looked at the children and Vader followed his gaze. The girl was clutching his son's arm, her eyes wide as she stared back at Vader. She looked so afraid. And it was his fault. He had hurt her. He hadn't meant to… he never would have… never should have…

_I love you!_

"Leia, you asked why your bond with Luke is so strong," Kenobi said.

The girl's brow twitched with confusion as she looked away from him to the Jedi. She didn't say anything to him and Kenobi smiled softly.

"Your bond in the Force is strengthened by your bond of blood," he said. A long pause, the two children slow to absorb this statement. When they did, their eyes both grew wide. "You are siblings." Vader felt catatonic as Kenobi turned to him. "They're twins," he said to him. "Yours. Both of them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished _Chaos Rising_ this week, the first book of the new Thrawn series. I've included some details in this chapter, mainly with Thrawn and Ar'alani's relationship. Side note: I absolutely love their friendship. They're adorable. Anyway, I barely finished this chapter in time so I doubt next chapter will be ready by next week. Sorry guys, things are busy now that the semester is underway. So a question for you all: Would you rather I write shorter chapters so I can get them out quicker or should I keep writing long chapters and just get them out when they're ready? I'm able to do both, so let me know what you prefer.


	15. For Her

She was horrified. Disgusted. Appalled.

At him.

The truth… the sickening truth…

It was too much to bear.

For her. For him.

_Anakin!_

"Anakin?"

Vader blinked once. He felt lightheaded, and he realized it was because he wasn't breathing. He took a shuddering breath, his restored lungs filling with air.

"Did you hear me?"

It was Kenobi. Vader stared at him blankly, unable to speak. His eyes drifted back to the girl, and for the first time he really saw her. Pale skin, almost ivory in complexion, dark brown eyes, voluminous hair. She was short, but her presence was commanding.

It was _her_. He saw it now.

"You," was all Vader managed to say. His mouth felt dry and his tongue twisted. He was sweating, it suddenly feeling very hot in spite of the freighter's chill.

"No," the girl – his daughter – said. Vader winced. She sounded shrill, her voice quavering just like _hers_ had been when she had learned. "That's not possible."

She couldn't believe it. How could she? It was too horrible to believe. Too horrible… too painful…

_I don't know you anymore!_

"I know this might be a shock –"

"Might be?" the girl snapped.

Kenobi raised his hands. "Leia –"

"You kept this from me? From us?" She gestured to the boy, not to him. She wouldn't look at him anymore. She _couldn't_ look at him anymore. "How could you?"

"I didn't intend to deceive you," Kenobi said. "Of course I wanted to tell you, but the timing was never opportune."

"Opportune?" the girl echoed, incredulous. " _Opportune?_ You've had weeks! You could have told me back on Yavin! You could have told me after what happened on the _Chimaera_! You could have told me on Dagobah!"

"Yes, but –"

"You had no right!"

"Leia, calm down," the boy entreated. He placed a hand on her arm and the girl seemed to temper a fraction. "Let Ben explain."

The girl shook her head. "I don't want explanations," she said, her fiery tone belied by a trembling lip. "I just…" She turned to him and shuddered. Vader felt sick at the look of revulsion on her face. "I just want to be alone."

The boy feebly tried to stop her, but she shoved him away and marched toward the door. Kenobi didn't interfere, his expression grim as he watched her go. The door sealed shut and the Jedi turned to him.

"Well?"

Vader felt a rush of indignation at this. "Well what?" he snapped.

"What are you going to do now?"

He was caught off guard. Kenobi wasn't telling him what to do as he so often had in the past. He was presenting him with a choice.

A choice.

When was the last time he had had a choice?

He looked at the boy. Whereas he had seen _her_ in the girl, he saw the Jedi in him. The innocence, the naïveté. Skywalker.

_To do what's right._

That's what he had said. That's what the boy wanted of him. That's what Skywalker would have wanted as well. He had always wanted to do what was right, even though he had been wrong about what was right more often than not. But it hadn't been his fault. He had been deceived. Lied to. Manipulated.

He hadn't had a choice.

Now he did.

"Out of my way," Vader rumbled to Kenobi.

The Jedi was surprised. "Where are you going?"

"Now," Vader said.

"If you want to go after Leia –"

Enough of this. Vader swiped his hand and pushed Kenobi aside. He vaguely registered the Jedi crashing against the side wall before Vader stormed out of the room. But whereas the girl had taken a left, he took a right down the hallway toward the main hatch.

He pounded down the exit ramp into the Chiss hangar. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but whatever it was, he did it with conviction. Anger and passion intermingled with remorse and dismay, the combination a lethal tonic which intoxicated his senses and invigorated his spirit.

The expectant look on his face.

The disgusted look on hers.

They fueled him. Inspired him. Drove him.

"You!" he bellowed to the first person he came across.

The Chiss turned to him and his red eyes turned wide. He stammered something in a foreign language.

"Thrawn," Vader said. "Take me to him."

The Chiss hesitated and Vader resisted the urge to grab him by his throat. He exhaled and spoke with forced calm.

"Mitth'raw'nuruodo. The grand admiral. I need to speak with him."

The Chiss nodded vigorously. He extended a hand before scampering away, presumably to take him to Thrawn.

A minute later he was marching through a set of reinforced double doors, to the bridge, he belatedly realized. It looked quite similar to the bridge on an Imperial Star Destroyer, although somewhat smaller in scale with fewer officers and even fewer superfluous stations. At the far end of the bridge by the viewport was the same trio who had first greeted him. Thrawn stood beside Commander Vanto as he spoke in low tones with Admiral Ar'alani. Hearing his arrival, the grand admiral half-turned to see him.

"Lord Vader," he greeted. He did not sound surprised, although the rest of the deck was not as calm as he. Vader could sense the spike in tension as the officers all looked up to watch him stride down the bridge.

"I'll do it," Vader said.

Thrawn raised a brow. "Do what?"

"Whatever you want from me. I'll do it."

There was a pause as Thrawn glanced at his companions. He expressed nothing, neither triumph nor relief. He was thoroughly unfazed.

"May I ask why?"

Vader grit his teeth. Why couldn't Thrawn just be grateful? Did he really have to know why?

Of course he did. Thrawn _always_ had to know why.

"I have my reasons," Vader said stiffly.

Thrawn seemed amused. "I'm sure you do."

He already knew. Perhaps before Vader had known himself.

Because he had known Skywalker. He knew how he thought. How he felt. He knew that he would do anything.

For _her._

Δ Δ Δ

Leia arrived in the main hold to find the Spectres plus Han and Chewbacca milling about. They all turned to her when she stepped into the cabin.

"Leia?" Kanan said, standing up from the bench. "What's wrong?"

Even to a blind man, she hadn't been able to hide her distress.

"We heard voices," Ezra said. "Loud voices."

Leia shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. She _couldn't_ talk about it. Not with them. Not with anyone.

"Leia?" Kanan pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, the words thick out of her mouth. Ducking her head, she plowed through the main hold toward the opposite hallway. The corridor curved and she found herself in the dusty room where she had consoled Luke a few days earlier. Now it was Leia in need of consoling. Not that she wanted anyone to do that for her. Right now she just needed to be alone. To think. To grieve.

She sat down in the shadow of the humming power converters, resting her back against the cylinder, rippling vibrations running up her spine. It was comforting in an odd way. She wiped at her eyes, feeling the moisture there and growing angry because of it.

It wasn't fair. None of it was. Kenobi and Vader; she wasn't sure who she despised more. The liar or the monster?

To hell with them both. They didn't matter to her. Kenobi said he wanted to train her? He could forget about that now. And Vader…

A shudder ran through her. He had always been fearsome, yes, but never had she been terrified of him as she had been then, when he took a step toward her and she felt an invisible grip around her throat…

It had only been for a moment, a flicker of panic, and then it was gone. But still, Leia couldn't shake herself free from the fear. Vader's terrible presence loomed overhead and lurked in the shadows, out of sight, but certainly not out of mind. It was as if he had followed her here. It was as if he was still watching her, seething at her.

It was as if he was a part of her.

For all the emotions she was feeling, surprise was not one of them. She had denied it, of course, but the moment Kenobi told her she and Luke were twins she had known it to be true. It all made sense. Her bond with Luke. Her perverse fascination with Vader. She had been drawn to them both because, whether she knew it or not, they were familiar. In Luke, she had seen herself. And in Vader…

What had she seen? Brutality, enmity, and bitterness. Sure. But was there not something more? Was there some other reason why she had been so interested in him? Was it just blood, as Kenobi implied?

It had to be. There could be no other explanation. Vader was a horrible man, a criminal of the highest offense!

Her father – her _real_ father, that is – had told her about Vader. Not much, but enough to make her steer clear of him whenever she was on Imperial Center. He had told her that Vader had led the purge against the Jedi and had massacred those who had been in the Temple the night the Empire was proclaimed. Among those killed, Leia highly suspected, had been children. She hadn't thought about it before, but it suddenly made sense. Why else would Kanan be the only former Padawan to have survived? The rest must have been slaughtered.

By Vader. Who else? She certainly knew he was capable.

How could _he_ be her father? And if he was her father, who was her mother? Leia had never given much thought into the mystery of her birth parents. She had always known she had been adopted, but this hadn't mattered much to her. The Organa's loved her as if she were their own, and Leia loved them equally in return. If she ever had any interest in her birth parents, she would chalk it up to innocent curiosity, nothing more.

But now that she knew about Vader, she found herself needing to know the other end of the equation. What type of a woman could love him? Or maybe she hadn't loved him at all. Maybe she had hated Vader, but had for some reason been stuck with him. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it was preferable to the alternative. That she _had_ loved him. Because if that was true, it meant her mother was complicit, and therefore equally deplorable as Vader. And that couldn't be. It simply couldn't.

And as she thought about this, Leia was presented with another question. Where was her mother? Was she alive? She had always assumed her birth parents were dead, but here was Vader, mangled and twisted yet very much alive. Did that mean her mother was out there somewhere? If so, should that matter to her? She said she didn't want anything to do with Vader. He may be her father by blood, but she would never recognize him as such. The Organa's were her real parents.

Nothing had changed. Vader didn't matter to her. Neither did her mother. They were strangers to her. She wasn't beholden to them.

And then there was Luke. Her brother. Her friend. She didn't feel any differently about him either. Knowing that they were related didn't matter. Not in one bit.

So why was she crying?

She hadn't even realized until know, but now that she did, it was too late for her to do anything about it. Tears streamed down her cheeks, unimpeded by her halfhearted attempts to wipe them away. Tucking her face in between her knees, she surrendered to the tumult of emotions and sobbed.

Δ Δ Δ

They could all hear Leia crying, but Ben forbade anyone from trying to comfort her.

"No, Luke," he had said. "Leave her be. There's nothing you can do."

Luke fought against this logic, but he knew it was true. He had needed his own space to deal with the truth, and he had to be willing to give Leia hers. Knowing this didn't make it any easier. He felt Leia's anguish as if it were own. Because it was, in a way. He had gone through the same ordeal just hours earlier. Again, he marveled at how close they were to one another. And now he understood why.

The minutes stretched on. They all waited in the main hold, nobody sure what to do. Kanan and Ezra asked repeatedly for an explanation, but Ben refused to give one. Luke was grateful for that. He couldn't imagine how furious Leia would be if he chose to tell the others without her permission. If it were up to her, he suspected she wouldn't want anyone to ever know.

And while Luke understood that, it did hurt a bit. He knew she was horrified of Vader, and in a way, Luke was too, but by not acknowledging him as her father, was she not also dismissing him as her brother?

No, that wasn't fair. She had barely had any time at all to wrap her head around this information. Luke had to let her deal with it in her own time. And just because he had managed to accept it so quickly, if not come to terms with it, didn't mean she would as well. For as similar as they were, Luke also knew they were very different. Their disparate upbringings alone were testament to that. The princess and the farm boy. It was like some sort of fantasy story Aunt Beru would have read to him when he was a kid.

Another five minutes passed before Kanan stomped his foot in frustration. "This is ridiculous," he said. "How long are we going to keep waiting?"

"For as long as we must," Ben said calmly.

"And what are we waiting for exactly?" Han asked.

The question was met with heavy footsteps. Ben turned toward the noise with a wry look. "For this exactly, Captain Solo," he said.

Luke knew who it was before he arrived. Vader's presence preceded him like a shadow. He came to a stop in the circular doorway and scanned the room with his hands on his hips.

"Well?" Ben asked.

Vader's gaze settled on the Jedi Master. His expression was inscrutable to Luke. Was he angry? Determined? Both?

"How did it go?"

"How did what go?" Vader asked.

"You went to speak with Thrawn, didn't you?"

Vader's face hardened. The whitened scars and sunken cheeks made him look gaunt, skeletal almost. He stared Ben down for a moment before looking away. Luke's heart skipped a beat when his cold eyes found him.

"Where is the girl?" he asked.

Luke gulped. Why wouldn't he use her name? It made him uncomfortable. "She's…" He turned toward the hallway where Leia could still be heard crying. Vader followed his example and his expression turned darker still.

"I wish to speak with her," he said.

"Not now," Ben said.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Vader snarled.

"I am not telling you, I'm advising you," Ben said. "You know I'm right."

Vader clenched his jaw, yet he didn't refute Ben's assessment. Instead he crossed his arms and took a step into the room. "We leave within the hour," he said.

"Where to?" Ben asked.

"Mokivj."

"For what reason?"

Vader hesitated. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Ben echoed with a frown. "How can you not know?"

Vader ignored him. "You are coming with me," he said, pointing to Luke.

"Me?" Luke said in a small voice.

"And the girl. Both of you will accompany me."

"Wait just a minute –" Ben began, but Vader cut him off.

"They will not be yours to corrupt, Kenobi. They are coming with me, end of discussion."

Ben bit his lip and looked toward the opposite hallway. "Leia won't want to go," he pointed out.

"It is not her decision to make," Vader said.

Luke felt a chill run up his spine at these words. So that's how it was? He and Leia had no say anymore? Did Vader view them as his children or as his property?

"I trust you will tell her?"

Luke blinked a few times at this question. Vader's voice – indomitable and unwavering – suddenly sounded a bit softer. It was only for a fleeting moment, but Luke detected some discomfort from the man.

"Uh… sure," Luke said.

Vader raised his chin. "Good." Sparing him one last long look, he spun around on his heel and departed the main hold.

Δ Δ Δ

The shuttle was small. Too small.

Vader was strapped into the pilot's seat with Thrawn on his right. Behind them was an open hatch leading to a compact cabin. The children were back there in the bucket seats along with Commander Vanto whom Thrawn insisted accompany them.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Thrawn asked.

Vader gave him a sideways look. "What are you talking about?"

Thrawn pressed a button on the control panel. The hatch sealed shut. "This mission will be dangerous," he said.

Vader's grip on the yoke strengthened even though he wasn't currently piloting the ship. There was little need for that when they were in hyperspace. "You have yet to inform me about the specifics of this mission," he said.

"I only refrained from doing so for the sake of confidentiality."

"Meaning?"

"I would rather the other members of your crew not know what we are doing."

"You mean Kenobi?" Vader asked, at once indignant. He though Kenobi was part of his _crew?_ How wrong could someone be?

"And the other Jedi, yes. Jarrus and Bridger are no friends of mine."

Vader said nothing, eyes fixed on the white and blue swirl in front of him. He waited for Thrawn to explain himself, and after a minute, the Chiss finally obliged.

"Now that we are alone, allow me to clarify things for you."

"By all means," Vader said with a bit of sarcasm.

"The Chiss Ascendency is on the verge of fragmentation," Thrawn began. "The families which make up the Syndicure, my own including, have been rivals for time immemorial, but now they are actively turning on one another. There have been a series of infiltrations into our government, the latest of which has created an internecine struggle which threatens to tear us apart for good."

Thrawn paused at this, perhaps expecting Vader to express some sympathy, or at least curiosity. He did not.

"Do you remember the first time we met above Batuu?"

Vader suppressed a growl. He hated how casually Thrawn associated him with Skywalker. "I remember," he ground out.

"I was traveling with an associate of mine at the time."

"Your pilot," Vader said.

"So you remember?"

"I already said that I did."

"I am impressed, that is all." Thrawn said blandly. "And as I recall, you were traveling with your droid. What was its name?"

_Stay with the ship._

"Artoo. His name was Artoo."

"Ah, yes. I remember him being an admirable companion. He was quite invaluable to us."

"Get on with it, Thrawn," Vader barked.

"Yes, as I was saying. My associate and I were quite surprised to hear your name."

Vader did remember that. There had been a long pause when he had identified himself, a curiosity at the time, but something that hardly interested him anymore. What was Thrawn getting at?

"The reason is because your name is the same as the one we Chiss use for our navigators."

"You call your navigators Skywalker?" Vader asked, his confusion momentarily supplanting the indignation he experienced at Thrawn's remark. Skywalker wasn't _his_ name. It hadn't been for sixteen years. And it never would be again.

"Skywalker is the rough translation from the Cheunh, yes. Che'ri was a sky-walker at the time."

"Che'ri?"

"Forgive me. My associate. She was traveling with me through the Chaos to gather intelligence about a potential threat to the Ascendency."

Vader nodded slowly. "What is the purpose of these navigators? Why can't you just use one of these?" He gestured at the flashing navcom which automated their journey through hyperspace.

"Such a device would be useless in the Chaos. Out there the hyperlanes are unstable and highly volatile, unlike those which connect the systems of the Empire."

"I see," Vader said. "And so you use people instead. How?"

"The sky-walkers are Force-sensitive Chiss children; girls, typically. Although the Ascendency does not know of the Force as you Jedi do and would not refer to them as such." Vader bit back his frustration at this flippant comment. Was Thrawn intentionally trying to bait him? Because if he was, one more insensitive comment could prove to be his last. Yet Thrawn seemed oblivious to Vader's dissatisfaction. He continued: "Che'ri called it 'Third Sight'. She would tap into that power to navigate Chiss warships through the Chaos."

Vader took a breath to calm himself. It was quite interesting, actually, although he had no idea why Thrawn was going into such detail with him. So he decided to ask. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because it is crucial you understand why the sky-walkers are so important to the Chiss Ascendency. Without them, we would be unable to navigate the Chaos in the clandestine manner in which we prefer."

"Clandestine? How do you mean?"

"The navigator's guild has a monopoly over Chaos travel, or so they believe. The sky-walkers are therefore the Ascendency's greatest secret. They do not want its rivals nor its friends to know that the Expansionary Defense Fleet has the ability to traverse the Chaos without the assistance of the navigator's guild, which might otherwise bottleneck their mobile capability."

Again, Vader nodded. "Alright," he said. Such complex geopolitics often went over his head. The Emperor dealt with such matters, not him. He merely executed his master's will without question. But Thrawn was explaining things clearly to him, and Vader felt able to keep up.

"A few months ago, eight sky-walkers were captured by an unknown foreign entity. The political blowback was, as you can now appreciate, quite substantial. My old patron Supreme General Ba'kif was dismissed from his position by the vengeful Syndicure even though he was not to blame for the incident."

Thrawn paused, and Vader detected some vexation from the typically enigmatic Chiss. He must be quite frustrated by the political shenanigans. Vader could relate to this. He had experienced that same frustration because of the Republic's incessant arguing and perpetual gridlock.

Or rather, Skywalker could relate. Vader had no such qualms with _his_ government. The Empire had done away with such inefficiencies. Now the Emperor made all the decisions without the interference of a squabbling Senate. It was better that way.

"With Admiral Ar'alani's assistance, proffered without the approval of the Admiralty, I might add, Commander Vanto and I tracked these kidnapped sky-walkers to Batuu. An interesting coincidence, if I might say."

Vader didn't share the grand admiral's appreciation of the irony. "So why are we going to Mokivj and not Batuu? I assume you need my help rescuing these… sky-walkers?"

"That I do," Thrawn said. "But the girls are no longer on Batuu. Their abductors learned of our investigation and decided to leave the planet. My analysis from the trajectory of their departed freighter, along with my deductions about their culture, suggest they left for Mokivj. Again, an interesting coincidence."

"And so we arrive on Mokivj and rescue them. Then what?"

"You could come with me to Csilla and be lauded as a hero by the Ascendency, thereby gaining yourself a valuable ally."

"To what end?" Vader asked.

"That is what you must choose."

"You want me to convince the Chiss to make war against the Empire."

"What I want is irrelevant."

"But that is what you want, is it not?"

Thrawn didn't answer. Vader turned to him and saw the Chiss staring blankly out the viewport just as he had been moments earlier.

"Perhaps," Thrawn said finally, "you should confer with your children."

Vader was stunned. He knew about the girl too? How could he know? Had Kenobi told him? No, he wouldn't have. Would he?

Before Vader could so much as open his mouth, Thrawn pressed the button opening the hatch. He spun in his chair and Vader dazedly followed his example to see the two children seated next to each other in the cabin. They looked so small, the girl's feet barely scraping the floor.

"They are your burden," Thrawn told him. "The man I once knew would have risen to that challenge. Will you?"

Unstrapping himself from his seat, Thrawn stood up and left the cockpit. He flicked his wrist, and the hatch sealed shut behind him, leaving a paralyzed Vader in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient with me, guys. I actually finished writing this chapter by my typical Saturday deadline, but I wanted to sit on it to edit and make sure I liked where things were at. As an aside, I looked over the last chapter and was dismayed by how many typos I found there. I think I'll refrain from posting as soon as I finish writing in the future to give myself ample time to edit. As I said in the last author's note, school work keeps me from being able to devote as much attention as I might like to my fanfic work (I am writing two stories, by the way, which makes things all the more difficult). I expect to be able to update roughly once a week, but updates are going to inevitably be a bit more sporadic. Anyway, thanks for reading! Things are starting to ramp up in a big way. Thrawn's critical involvement in this story wasn't something I planned on when I started writing (way back when – it feels so long ago now!), but now I'm psyched to have him serve such an important role. Next chapter should feature some more Obi-Wan content hopefully, along with what happens with Vader and his reluctant twins down on Mokivj.


	16. Echoes

Leia was trapped.

She had felt so secure in that dusty compartment – miserable, yes, but secure. There she had been safe from him. From the monster.

But then Luke had come to tell her she had to go. Vader was demanding they accompany him on a mission of sorts. Luke had been apologetic, yet firm.

" _You have to come, Leia."_

" _No I don't! I don't have to do anything he says!"_

" _You don't have a choice. If you don't come willingly, Vader will drag you onto the ship himself. Please, Leia. Don't make this more difficult than it has to."_

And so she had folded, partially out of loyalty to Luke, and partially out of fear for Vader. Now she was seated in a hard plastic bucket seat in the cabin of a small shuttle, Luke at her side, the stoic Commander Vanto opposite them. Leia spared a glance for the open hatch leading to the cockpit. She could make out Vader's hulking figure in the pilot's chair. Thrawn was seated next to him. They seemed to be talking, but Leia couldn't make out the words over the hum of the hyperdrive.

"Are you cold?"

Leia gave Luke a sideways look. Was she _cold?_ Was that really what he had asked her?

"Uh… no, not really," she said.

"Oh, ok," Luke said. He rubbed his arms together and turned away. Leia felt her irritation fade at the sight.

"Are you?" she asked.

Luke gave her a rueful look. "Kind of."

Leia smiled, feebly to be sure, but it was the first in what felt like days. She was so very grateful to have Luke at her side. At least she wasn't going through this alone.

"Here," she said, taking off the oversized vest Captain Solo had given her to wear. "Take this."

"But won't you be cold?" Luke asked.

"I'm used to it," she insisted. "I'm serious. Take it."

Luke did so reluctantly. He threw the vest around his shoulders with a sheepish expression.

"Better?" Leia asked.

"A bit," Luke said.

Leia heard a swooshing sound to her right. She turned to it and saw the hatch door had closed. It seemed Vader and Thrawn felt their conversation wasn't private enough. What could they be talking about?

"Why do you serve Thrawn?" Leia asked, turning to Vanto.

The young man arched a brow, perhaps surprised that she had addressed him at all. He seemed like the type who preferred to melt into the background. "Why do you ask?"

Leia felt agitated. Something about this man's demeanor bothered her. "Do you know what he did to Luke?"

"He told me," Vanto said grimly.

"And you have no problem with that?"

Vanto was silent for a long while. His eyes flicked back and forth between Luke and herself, his gaze cold and incisive. Compassion was the furthest thing from his mind.

"You must understand," he said finally, his accented speech slow and deliberate, "Thrawn is in a very difficult position."

Leia pounced on this answer. "So that justifies torture?" Vanto's lips twitched with amusement, and Leia was incensed further still. "You're just as bad as him! How despicable must you be to justify torturing a boy?"

The smug amusement faded from Vanto's face which turned quite gray. He looked away, her trenchant words like a slap across his cheek. "The grand admiral and I are not always in agreement."

"That's not good enough," Leia snapped.

"Urgent times require urgent measures," Vanto continued. "I'm sure this is not news to you. The Rebel Alliance can be as brutal as the Empire when their backs are against the wall, as they so often are."

"Oh, so you support the Empire now?"

"Hardly," Vanto said. "I served the Empire for nearly a decade. I know it is a rotten institution from the top down."

Leia blinked a few times. So Vanto had been an Imperial? It made sense. He was a human, after all. Thrawn must have recruited him while they were both in the Imperial Navy.

"Is that why you're with the Chiss? To defeat the Empire?"

Vanto cocked his head to the side as if he hadn't considered this question before. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke. "I left the Empire because I knew it was the right thing to do. But overthrowing it? That is something else entirely."

"Is it?"

"I come from Wild Space. The Empire hardly even exists out there, but its presence is felt. It instills order, and with it, peace. I'm not so sure eliminating that presence would be in the galaxy's best interest."

Leia had a counterargument ready, but she stopped when Luke touched her forearm. "Could we not do this right now?" he asked.

"But Luke –"

"Please?"

Leia hesitated. She realized a fundamental difference between herself and Luke. She had picked this fight with Vanto. She wanted to yell at him, berate him. It distracted her. But Luke wasn't like that. He was a gentler soul.

"Alright," Leia folded. She shot Vanto a dirty look, warning him this wasn't over. Vanto seemed unconcerned.

In the silence, her thoughts inevitably drifted back to Vader. She must be more like him that she realized. He was certainly one who relished a fight. The parallel was a cause for concern. She didn't want to be anything like him. Maybe she should follow Luke's example more often.

But it raised a question which Leia stubbornly tried not to think about. She became belligerent when she was agitated. Ever since she was little girl she had been that way. Her mother called her truculent. Her father insisted she was merely stubborn. Could Vader be the same? Was this horrible man who filled the room with his fearsome presence actually just a mirage designed to obfuscate the _real_ man, a man conflicted and troubled?

Leia shook her head. Had she really just thought that? What was wrong with her? There were no parallels between Vader and herself. Just because they were related didn't mean they were anything alike. But the thought – naïve hope, more like – continued to nag her. Something Thrawn had said came to mind.

_Let's just say that the heart outweighed the mind_

He didn't have a heart. Leia knew that he didn't. His chest was an empty chasm, devoid of feeling or sympathy, certainly incapable of love. And yet…

She was being foolish. A small part of her wanted Vader to be someone he was not. She wanted him to be her father.

But she already had a father! And Vader wasn't him! End of story.

The hatch door opened, pulling Leia out of her murky thoughts. In walked Thrawn. His posture was stiff as always, but Leia detected an added tension beneath his impassive face. Perhaps because of what he and Vader had been discussing?

"Commander Vanto," he greeted.

Vanto did not salute, but instead merely nodded. "No trouble with the hyperlanes?" he asked.

"None," Thrawn said. "The gravity wells were expertly cleared by the _Steadfast._ "

"Gravity wells?" Leia echoed. "What do you mean? Why would there be gravity wells way out here?"

Thrawn gave her a look. "We believe they were constructed by an alien species called the Grysk."

"But why?"

"To prevent us from finding them, of course."

Leia didn't know what was going on. Nobody had told her where they were going or why they were going there. This business about the Grysk made her all the more nervous.

"You have nothing to be concerned about, Princess," Thrawn assured, as if reading her thoughts. "The general will be more than capable to deal with whatever threat arises."

"The general?"

A dry smile touched Thrawn's lips. "Forgive me," he said. "I meant to say Lord Vader."

Leia gulped. The general _._ As in General Anakin Skywalker. Luke's father. _Her_ father. The man he had once been. The man Thrawn had once known. The man Kenobi had once considered a friend.

He seemed more like myth than man.

"We will arrive on Mokivj shortly," Thrawn informed them. He strode forth and took a seat by Vanto's left-hand side. "And then we will see."

"See what?" Luke asked.

Thrawn looked to the hatch door. "We will see what he does."

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan sat in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon._ There was nothing to see out the viewport, just the blank walls of the hangar bay, but he stared out at them intently. The _Steadfast_ was clicking through hyperspace in pursuit of the freighter Thrawn and Vader had taken to Mokivj. For once, things were quiet, and Obi-Wan finally had a chance to think.

How had he gotten to this point? The events of the past month or so had been as bizarre as they were hectic. He thought about him and Maul dueling back on Tatooine. That felt like the memory from a distant life time.

And even more distant were the memories of a young man on Naboo, his heart pounding, his muscles taut. He had watched through the ray shields as his master dueled with Maul. He had screamed when the Sith stuck Qui-Gon in the chin and pierced him through the sternum with a backward thrust of his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan had never admitted it to anyone, but in that moment he had tasted the dark side. He had experienced anguish there for the first time, and he had succumbed to it. His anger had fueled him, enabling to overcome a vastly superior foe in Maul. He had been revered at the time. Master Kenobi, the Sithslayer. But he had learned to fear himself for that. He realized what he was capable of, and he promised never to succumb to that darkness again.

So when Satine died, he was ready. He was stoic. Unfeeling. When Anakin fell to the dark side and he left him to burn to death on Mustafar, Obi-Wan had called upon that same calm. He encased his soul – that weak and vulnerable soul of his – in a cage of impenetrable steel. When Padmé died on Polis Massa, he was once again unaffected. Nothing could make a dent in his shields. He had made himself immune to pain, or at least numb to it.

For sixteen years he labored under that armor, sweltering in the Tatooine heat, weighed down by the trauma of his past. Yet now it was gone. He was naked and exposed once more, just like that young man had been on Naboo. And how fitting for it to be Maul who was responsible. He had sacrificed himself, and somehow that act had been enough to unlock Obi-Wan from his cage. He had felt hope – naïve and brutal as it might be – for the first time in who knows how long after they had escaped the _Chimaera._ His actions were no longer guided by the logic of the Jedi Code, but by emotion, capricious and foolhardy as it was. Yoda had been baffled, Obi-Wan even more so. He had forgotten that he could even act in this way. He had forgotten that he had agency, having figured he lost it long ago when the galaxy collapsed around him after the Clone Wars ended.

Was he making a horrible mistake? His actions of the past few days had completely undermined everything he, Yoda, and Organa had planned upon all those years ago at Polis Massa. The twins were reunited, their parentage revealed, and their powers unleashed. It was never supposed to happen this way. He thought of Jarrus. Obi-Wan had admonished the man for allowing his attachments to guide his actions, yet was he not guilty of that same offense? No longer a servant to his mind, Obi-Wan found himself a slave to his heart.

"Master. I need your guidance."

Qui-Gon did not reply but for that echo that was always lingering in the back of Obi-Wan's mind.

_Promise me you will train the boy._

He had promised. And he had failed. But now…

_Train them both. They will avenge us._

He had made a promise then as well, this time to the man who had murdered his master. The man who had sacrificed himself so that Obi-Wan might live. The man who had been his most fervent enemy, and in some way, his closest friend. Just like another…

_You were my brother, Anakin!_

Maul had found the light in the end. Might Vader yet? He never would have believed it possible, but nothing made sense to him anymore. Maybe…

_He is the Chosen One._

"I won't fail you."

And this time, he really meant it. Maul and Qui-Gon had placed their trust in him. He would not let either of them down. The pupils they had entrusted to him:

The boy.

The girl.

And the man himself. His worst enemy. His best friend. His brother.

_I loved you!_

He was beholden to them all.

The Chosen Ones.

Δ Δ Δ

The small party made their way through a shallow ravine in silence. Luke walked beside Leia a few steps behind Vader and Thrawn. Commander Vanto took up the rear, his blaster at the ready in case a threat arose. Luke couldn't help but think this was unlikely. Mokivj was a desolate wasteland. He doubted anyone inhabited it.

The sky was an unpleasant grey green, the dense clouds above churning and angry. Luke breathed from his mouth to avoid the sulfuric fumes and his eyes stung from whatever pollutant was hanging heavy in the air. Lining the ravine on either side were petrified tree trunks, their jagged limbs bear and their black wood glossy. The ground was smooth, as if eroded away by water, but no liquid could be found save for a few murky puddles which Luke was careful to step around.

"How much longer?" Leia asked, speaking to Vanto.

The commander shook his head and they carried on without another word.

Luke trained a surreptitious eye on Leia as they walked. She kept her head ducked, jaw set and fists clenched. He hoped she wouldn't try something stupid out of spite. But then again, that seemed exactly like the type of thing she would do.

How long had they known each other? A week? Maybe two? And yet he felt as if he'd known her all his life. In that sense, the revelation that she was his twin sister hardly even seemed like a revelation. It was instead more like an affirmation of something he already knew, but hadn't been able to properly define.

Despite that, the idea of having a sister still felt foreign to him. He didn't quite know how to act around her now. Nothing had changed, and yet everything was different. Vader's looming shadow had that paradoxical effect on things, he supposed. Speaking of shadows, the two long ones ahead of them came to an abrupt stop.

"What is it?" Thrawn asked.

Luke looked up to see Vader alert, his head on a swivel. He held a hand out to him and Leia. Luke didn't know how to interpret the gesture. Was he giving them a command to stop? Or was he subconsciously protecting them, somehow? Luke vastly preferred the latter.

"I feel something," he said.

Thrawn nodded. "It's them. We must be close."

"No," Vader said. "It's not that. I've been sensing them since we arrived in the system."

"Then what?"

Luke and Leia traded confused looks. What were Thrawn and Vader talking about? Who was the 'them' in question?

"I can't be sure," Vader said absently. He turned around and stared at Leia, his eyes out of focus. "Maybe…"

"What?" she snapped.

Vader seemed to be shaken back to his senses. "Stay here with Vanto," he ordered Thrawn. "You two with me."

"But Lord Vader –"

"Do not defy me," Vader growled and Thrawn bit back his objection.

"Very well," the grand admiral managed.

Vader beckoned them with an agitated flick of his wrist. "With me. Now."

Luke could tell Leia was going to argue, so he stopped her before she could. "Don't," he pleaded.

Leia's agitated expression turned resigned. "Fine," she said. "But this better be quick," she added, giving Vader a contemptuous look.

He didn't respond. As if on instinct, he flourished the cape that wasn't there and marched away. Luke and Leia only hesitated a beat before following.

They left Thrawn and Vanto behind them. For another five minutes they walked in silence. With each passing step, Luke could sense Leia's disgruntlement rise. As for him, Luke found himself growing nervous. Why had Vader insisted they accompany him? Had he lied about sensing something? Maybe he just wanted to get them alone for some reason.

"Here," Vader said, coming to an abrupt stop.

Leia wrinkled her nose. "What, this?"

Luke could see why she was unimpressed. The ravine shallowed out into what might have once been a small bay. A dilapidated jetty protruded out from the craggy shore, its wooden struts covered by a thick moss. Looming above was a derelict of sorts. Luke couldn't identify what it might have been. It was certainly large. A building perhaps? Yet why was it here in the river bed? Surely this would have been full of water at some point.

"Yes," Vader said, his voice distant. "This is it."

"What is it?" Luke asked impulsively.

Unsurprisingly, Vader did not reply. He set his jaw and strode toward the derelict. Luke and Leia watched him go for a moment, neither sure how to interpret this strange turn of events.

"He's lost it," Leia said.

Luke didn't think so. There was something very deliberate about Vader's actions. There was something here, and he was determined to find it. As was Luke.

"Come on," he said. "Let's see what this is about."

Leia followed him reluctantly. For all her gravitas, he could tell she was anxious. She was afraid of Vader still. While he couldn't blame her, Luke didn't necessarily share her apprehension. Vader was fearsome, yes, but nevertheless Luke felt secure in his company. He trusted him to protect them.

Maybe he was crazy to think so.

The door to the derelict was gone, its hinges rusted and bent. Luke stepped through the open frame. Once inside, he squinted in the dim light and made out Vader's silhouette.

"What is this place?" he asked.

Vader looked around the cavernous space, his mouth a tight frown. "I can feel it still."

"Feel what?"

Vader flashed him a look. "Can you not sense it?"

Luke hesitated. He felt Leia standing a half-step behind him, using him as a shield of sorts. Luke craned his head back to look at her. "Do you?" he asked her.

"Do I what?"

"Sense… anything?"

Leia shook her head. "This place is creepy," she said.

That it was. The wooden planks underneath their feet were rotting away; In some places, ferns and cattails sprouted up from the cracks, and in others, pools of stagnant water played host to vibrant algae and buzzing mosquitoes. The ceiling was similarly swamp-like. Frayed netting made of tough twine had been overtaken by a thick green foliage which covered the walls and wrapped itself around the support beams.

"Uh… Vader?" Luke gulped. What else was he supposed to call him? Father? "Can we go?"

Vader's eyes were closed. He acted as if he hadn't heard the question. "She was here," he said to himself.

"She?" Luke echoed.

"I can feel her."

With that cryptic comment, Vader turned on his heel and marched away with purpose, the floorboards creaking loudly underfoot. Luke glanced at Leia who had a quizzical look on her face.

"Why do you think he brought us here?" he asked her.

"To this place, you mean?" She looked around at their surroundings, her lip curled with disgust. "What a dump."

"Well yeah, but also to Mokivj in general."

"Oh." Leia crossed her arms and looked away to where Vader had gone. "I don't know. To keep us away from Kenobi, I bet."

"But clearly he wants something from us."

"Yeah. Loyalty."

"You think?"

"What else?"

"I don't know." Luke followed Leia's gaze. "Everything about this is weird."

"You can say that again," Leia muttered.

"Here!" they heard Vader shout. He sounded excited. "Come here!"

Luke licked his lips nervously. "I guess we should go."

Leia sighed. "I guess."

They followed his voice up a rickety ladder onto an upper level. Things were a bit nicer here. An open window allowed some fresh air into the room, along with a hint of muted sunlight. Vader was standing beside what looked like a bunk. His metal hand brushed against the woolen blanket in a tender manner.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"Here," Vader said. "Both of you."

Luke took a tentative step forward . Leia was slow to follow, no doubt wanting to stay as far away from Vader as possible.

"Sit," Vader instructed. He took a step away and gestured to the bunk.

Luke gave it a wary look. It looked alright, but he wasn't sure he wanted to sit on it. "Um… do we have to?" Vader's face turned stormy and Luke swallowed his pride. "Never mind," he squeaked, taking a seat on the bunk. Leia sat down beside him and hugged her knees to her chest. They both craned their necks to look up at Vader's face. His stern expression softened a fraction when he noticed their discomfort at this arrangement. Taking a step away, Vader did the unexpected and sat down against the back wall. Now it was him looking up at them.

"We need to talk," he said. Neither Luke nor Leia said anything. "Do you, um… have questions?"

Luke blinked with surprise. Vader suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. For the first time, Luke considered how strange this situation must be for him as well. He had just discovered that he had two long-lost children, after all.

"What would we have questions about?" Leia asked.

Vader's eyes darted to the ground. "I don't know," he said lamely.

Luke felt a pang of sympathy for him. At least he was trying to talk with them. He was clearly out of his element here.

"How come you didn't know about us?" Luke asked.

The question seemed to help Vader regain his confidence. His lip twisted into a sneer as he met Luke's gaze. "Kenobi took you from me."

"So you did know about us?"

"I thought…" He trailed off and looked away toward the open window. "I thought you were dead."

"Why?"

No response came. Vader continued to stare determinedly out the window.

"Who was she?"

Vader's head snapped back at Leia's question. He felt her stiffen with fear at the steely look he was giving her.

"She?" Vader echoed. He sounded tense, defensive almost.

"You know." Leia glanced at Luke and pulled in her knees even tighter. "Our mother?" Vader was silent. "We do have one, right?"

"Yes." Vader said it almost like a concession, as if the fact was something he didn't want to admit.

"So who was she? Is she still…" Leia trailed off when Vader winced. There was a fragile silence as the siblings watched their father, his face strained and pale. "She's gone, isn't she?"

"Gone," Vader confirmed.

Luke felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach at this hollow word.

_Gone._

"What happened?" Leia asked.

Vader abruptly got to his feet, startling Luke and Leia who drew back in fright. He ignored their reactions and began pacing agitatedly.

"Thrawn wants me to convince the Chiss to make war against the Empire."

Luke was baffled by this change in subject. He looked at Leia, but she seemed more irritated than confused.

"He requested that I confer with you before making a decision." Vader spun on his heel to face them again. Seeing their blank faces, Vader seemed to grow frustrated. "Well?"

Luke cleared his throat. "Well, um… that sounds… good."

"Good?"

He turned to Leia for help. "You'd actually consider turning against the Empire?" she asked.

"No," Vader said at once. He bit down on his tongue. "I mean… I would like to hear from you first."

"It sounds like you've already made up your mind," Leia said skeptically.

Vader grit his teeth. "Tell me what you want."

"Why?" Leia challenged.

"What do you mean why?"

"Why do you care what we have to say?"

Vader took a threatening step forward. "Because I say so. Now tell me."

"No," Leia said, refusing to back down. "Why do you give a damn what we think?"

Vader hesitated. "Because…"

"What do you want from us?"

"Nothing," Vader said at once. "You are my children. I do not require anything else from you."

Leia was taken aback by this. She blinked rapidly, her mouth falling open as she stared at him.

"You mean that?" Luke asked.

"Of course I mean that," Vader snapped. "Now tell me your opinions." He took a measured breath. "Please."

Luke didn't know what was going on. Neither did Vader, by the looks of things. He fidgeted with the hem of his ill-fitting robes, his foot bouncing against the creaking floorboards. It was oddly endearing.

"Well, um… I think if the Chiss are willing to help…"

"Yes?" Vader prompted.

Luke wrung his wrists. He didn't know what he was talking about. Leia knew about these things far better than he did. But she wasn't talking, so Luke had to take the initiative.

"I think it would be great if you turned against the Empire." Luke cringed at himself. He thought it would be _great?_ Really?

Vader kept an even expression. "Is that so?" Luke nodded nervously. "Why do you feel that way?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you care about the Empire?"

"Well… it's bad."

"Bad?"

Luke felt lost for words. Fortunately, Leia jumped to his defense.

"The Empire isn't bad, it's evil," she said, her chin raised in defiance.

An amused look passed Vader's face. "You think that, do you?"

"No, I know so."

Vader had the audacity to chuckle. Leia's face twitched at the derision.

"You have been lied to, my children." His eyes turned cold as he scanned their faces. "Kenobi and the Jedi skew the truth. As do your… patrons, the Organa's."

"Patrons?" Leia echoed.

"They are willfully ignorant of the anarchy that existed before the Empire rose to power."

"You mean democracy?" Leia said.

"Synonyms," Vader dismissed.

Leia bristled at this claim. "Democracy means justice! It means representation! It means –"

"Arguing and bickering. Bribery and blackmail. Inefficiency and corruption. _That_ was the Republic. It was a failure. The Empire brought peace and reform."

"Reform? Are you serious?" Leia shook her head vehemently. "You really have no idea how horrible the Empire is, do you?"

Vader pointed a finger at her. "You know nothing of the horror which you speak. You do not know war like I do. You do not know suffering. Anguish. Destruction. You are a child. Naïve and foolish."

Leia stood up from the bunk. "Then why bother asking my opinion?"

Vader gnashed his teeth and looked away.

"You want to agree with me. With us," she belatedly added, gesturing to Luke who was beginning to feel left out. He stood up as well, fearing the fiery look in Vader's eyes. "That's why you asked. But you're too warped to know it."

"Warped?"

"You're twisted and mangled! Just look at you!" She flourished a hand at Vader's limbs. "You're half machine!"

"Leia, don't," Luke warned, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off.

"We know you're suffering. Anyone can see it. You're miserable!"

"I am not –"

"Why did you bring us here? To this piece of junk?" She gestured to the room with a wave of her arms. "It's because she was here, wasn't she? Our mother was here. On this very bed! How long ago was that? Twenty years? And yet you cling to the past because it's all you have left. That and us." There was a pause, Leia's impassioned words reverberating against the walls and rippling through a stunned Vader. "Start being honest with yourself, or else you're going to lose us just like you lost her."

Luke looked back and forth between Leia and Vader with his mouth agape. The silence stretched on as Vader seemed unable to speak, his face an ashen grey. And after nearly a full minute…

"You…"

For a moment, Luke thought that was all he was going to say. He looked just like he had back on the _Falcon_ when Ben had revealed Leia to be his daughter: utterly stunned and speechless. But then –

"You're so much like her."

For a fraction of a second, Luke saw Leia's determined expression waver, a flicker of something indescribable in her eyes. Melancholy, perhaps.

"I'll be back," Vader said. He sounded deflated, disappointed in himself or in them, Luke couldn't tell. "Don't go anywhere."

"But –" Luke tried to say.

"I'll make sure Vanto finds you." Vader turned away, his head bowed, and crossed the room toward the ladder. Without so much as a glance for them, he descended out of sight, leaving his daughter and son behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confused by the setting of that last scene? I'd be surprised if you weren't. Unless you've read _Alliances_ , you'll have no idea where they are, and even if you have, it might not be immediately clear. That was LebJau's boat where Padmé was incarcerated for several days, waiting for Anakin to come and rescue her. That's why Vader sought it out. Her Force presence was still strong despite it being so long ago. It's not super important that you know that, but I thought it was a fun callback for those of you who have read _Alliances._
> 
> I took the time to look over this chapter and I'm really happy with how polished it feels. I know this is fanfic, but nevertheless I want to give you the best product I can. If that means less frequent updates, so be it. I'm really glad so many people seem to be enjoying this story, so again, I want to make sure what I publish is of suitable quality by my standards. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm not yet sure how next chapter will shape up, but I figure we'll get some sweet angst from Vader's POV. Until then!


	17. Fissures

Leia rocked back and forth on the bunk as Luke paced. They'd been waiting for nearly two hours now. Commander Vanto had shown up fifteen minutes after Vader left, but he was downstairs, supposedly keeping an eye on the perimeter, but Leia suspected he didn't want to give her the opportunity to berate him again. That was probably a good call on his part. Leia sure would like to yell at someone right now, and Vanto was a ripe candidate.

But instead she and Luke commiserated in silence. She ran and hand across the woolen blanket. It was scratchy and mangy. Yet Vader hadn't thought so. He had looked upon it with fondness in his eyes, with nostalgia and with grief. It was, in a way, how he looked at her as well. In Leia and in the blanket he saw some similar element.

_Her._

Maybe Thrawn had been right after all. Maybe Vader did have a heart. Or once upon a time he had. But why should she care? Now was what mattered, not then.

But it did matter.

She could tell herself all she wanted that she didn't care about her birth parents, yet that would not change the fact that she was here, tenderly kneading at the blanket in the vain hope that she might sense her mother's lingering presence as Vader had. Worse still, she couldn't deny her fear. Her fear that Vader might not return. Her fear that the man she had only just begun to see, the man so adoringly extolled by his former friends, might not survive, whether it be by an alien's violent doing, or more likely, by his own.

"Luke?"

She'd called his name before intending to do so. She turned, knees hugged to her chest as she imploringly sought his attention.

"What did your aunt and uncle tell you about him?"

Luke stopped his pacing to give her a quizzical look. "But I told you already."

"I know. Tell me again." Because now she was willing to listen. Now she was desperate to listen.

"Well," Luke began, screwing up his face as if deep in thought. She knew he wasn't. She knew he cherished the idea of his father. The scant details he did know where etched to his heart. "They told me he was a pilot. That he was a navigator on a spice freighter."

Leia snorted. "I wonder how they came up with that."

"Yeah," Luke said, smiling. "Not sure where that came from."

There was a loud _thump_ and Luke and Leia started at the disturbance. It sounded like it had come from downstairs.

"What was that?" Luke asked.

"No idea." Leia swung her legs off the bunk and cautiously approached the ladder. "Commander Vanto?" she called. No response. "Commander Vanto, are you –"

"Need some help down here!"

His voice was shrill, a far cry from the dull drone to which she had become accustomed. "Come on," she said to Luke before scampering down the ladder. Arriving on the ground level, she saw Vanto assisting Thrawn, the grand admiral looking especially enfeebled, an arm wrapped around Vanto's shoulders, his feet dragging against the floor. Upon closer inspection, Leia realized why that was. His left leg was entirely immobilized, encased, as it seemed, by a layer of stone. Leia blinked a few times in bewilderment.

"What happened?" she asked.

She didn't receive an answer because just then another figure entered the room. His gait labored as well, Vader hobbled forward with his arm slung in front of his chest, it too paralyzed by that same stone-like substance. Leia felt a rush of… something. Relief?

"You're hurt," Luke said, hurrying forward to assist his father. Leia found herself stepping forward as well before stopping herself.

"I'm fine," Vader insisted. He attempted to push Luke away, but the motion nearly made him lose balance. Luke grabbed him by the waist to stabilize him and Vader's entire body seemed to freeze at his touch.

Thrawn was speaking with Vanto in a foreign language. He was now seated on the ground, his immobilized leg rigid against the rotting floorboards, his blue lips wrought with a grimace. Vanto was kneeling at his side, listening to what he had to say while simultaneously prodding at his leg with an experimental finger.

"Would someone tell me what's going on?" Leia asked in frustration.

Thrawn and Vanto glanced at her, but neither spoke. Instead –

"Leia."

It felt as if her heart had stopped. Stunned, she turned to Vader. He had said her name. For the first time, he had acknowledged her in that way. She reflexively thought she must have misheard. And then, just as reflexively, wished to hear him say it again. Her name, in his voice, spoken with urgency, with…

Endearment.

"They're outside. Keep an eye on them, would you?"

Leia stared at him, her brain slow to decipher these words. "Them? Who's them?"

Vader didn't answer. With Luke's assistance, he sank to the floor and assumed a posture much like Thrawn. Luke played Vanto's part, steadfastly at his father's side, doing what little he could to help. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, and decidedly unhelpful, Leia decided to go outside to find out what Vader was talking about.

The sky was darkening now, although the sickly green tint in the clouds above was still visible, a radioactive glow reflected in the acidic puddles beneath her feet. A little ways away in the dried-out river bed Leia saw a group of shadowy figures huddled closely together. She approached cautiously.

"Hello?"

They spun to her voice with alarm, two of them grabbing each other in fright, one letting out a startled squawk. Leia held up her hands.

"Sorry! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

She could now see that they looked like young girls. Although it was difficult to make out their features, Leia could clearly see their red eyes. They must be Chiss. What were they doing here?

"Can you understand me?" Leia asked, knowing they could not. She took a tentative step forward, and the girls took a synchronous step back. Leia faltered. "I want to help you."

A few girls shook their heads and they continued backing away. Leia held her palms out to them, beginning to panic.

"No, wait –"

" _Ozyly-esehembo._ "

Leia swiveled her head. Emerging from the derelict was Luke, his hands raised as well. He stopped by her side and entreated the girls to listen.

" _Ozyly-esehembo,_ " he said again, gesturing to him and Leia. "We're Skywalkers. We're friends."

The girls all stared at him with mixed expressions of bewilderment and curiosity. Leia had no idea what to make of this.

"Luke?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me," he said.

Leia licked her lips and looked back at the girls. They had stopped backing away, if nothing else intrigued by this newcomer who somehow spoke a tiny bit of their language. Leia's mouth felt a bit dry. What Luke had said…

_We're Skywalkers._

Was that what she was? A Skywalker? The name felt so foreign to her. Leia Skywalker. And yet it also felt so right.

"Look."

Leia refocused her eyes and followed Luke's pointing finger. In the distance she could see a freighter emerge from beyond the horizon. It approached rapidly, soundless as it did, and gently set itself down in the river bed, wings folding neatly when it settled to a stop.

"That's the freighter we took, right?"

"Looks like it," Leia said.

The hatch popped open and a ramp unfurled. Even through the dim light, Leia had no difficulty making out Kenobi's figure as he emerged from the body of the freighter. Beside him was a tall Chiss woman. The sight of her seemed to calm the girls. When the duo reached the bottom of the ramp, they bifurcated, Kenobi heading straight toward her and Luke while the Chiss approached her brethren.

"Are you alright?" Kenobi called.

Leia bit her tongue. She wasn't so easily going to forget how Kenobi had slighted her.

"We're fine," Luke said. "Vader and Thrawn are hurt, though."

"Bring me to them."

Luke led the way back to the derelict. They stepped through the doorless opening to find the scene unchanged from when Leia had left. Thrawn grimaced as Vanto attempted in vain to chip away at the stone layering with a rock. Vader meanwhile seemed especially frustrated, clawing at his frozen arm with his offhand to no effect. Hearing their arrival, Vader looked up.

"Kenobi? What are you doing here?"

"I called for the _Steadfast_ to pick us up," Vanto explained. "Is Admiral Ar'alani here?"

"She is," Kenobi said.

"Very well. I would like to speak with her." Vanto discarded the rock and stood up to leave. Once he was gone, Kenobi stepped forward to investigate Vader and Thrawn's curious condition.

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"The Grysk had a weapon which fired tiny swarming projectiles," Thrawn said, surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. "They were akin to locusts, I suppose. Impossible to shoot them all down." He tilted his head as if in appreciation. "An impressive tactic. Far more sophisticated than I anticipated."

"They did this to your leg?"

"And to Lord Vader's arm and hip."

Kenobi turned to Vader. "I see," he said, grim.

"I'm sure the damage is not permanent," Thrawn said, although he didn't sound as sure as he claimed.

"May I see?" Kenobi asked of Vader. Without waiting for a response, Kenobi kneeled down by his former Padawan's side. Vader stiffened when Kenobi placed a tentative finger on his immobilized arm. "Curious," Kenobi mused.

"That's all you have to say?" Vader said acidly. "Are you going to help or not?"

"Do you trust me?"

Vader hesitated. "What do you have in mind?"

Leia inhaled sharply when Kenobi pulled out his lightsaber. "I would like to start with you," he said. "If I make a mistake or it does not work, I would only be searing metal rather than flesh."

Vader swallowed visibly.

"So I ask again: Do you trust me?"

There was a tense moment. Vader's eyes darted beyond Kenobi to her and Luke. "Just do it," he said.

It wasn't the answer Kenobi wanted to hear, but he took it in stride. Activating his blade, he held it up to Vader's arm. Leia watched with bated breath, the hum of the saber drowned out by the beating of her heart. The blue plasma met the stone and there was a red glow at their touch. Vader kept perfectly still as Kenobi carefully cut away the stone. Fissures erupted up and down the cast and finally the cement gave way, crashing to the ground in one go.

"That went well," Kenobi said, smiling tightly.

Vader flexed his freed arm. "Very well," he agreed.

"Now your hip."

Kenobi repeated the process and when he had finished he pivoted to assist Thrawn. Vader got to his feet and Leia found herself walking toward him.

"May I see?" she asked.

Vader seemed surprised, but he held up his arm nonetheless. When Leia tried to touch it, she yelped.

"What's wrong?"

"It's hot."

Vader looked almost ashamed. "It's metal," he said. "It retains heat. My armor is made of ceramic to prevent it from getting too warm."

"Well maybe we should get you some new armor."

"Why should I need new armor?" Vader asked, frowning. "My old suit will serve me fine. I just need to repurpose it, that's all."

Leia didn't know what to say to that. Would he really put on his old armor again? That horrible black suit? For some reason she couldn't imagine him putting it back on. She didn't want him to.

"Thank you, Master Kenobi."

"My pleasure."

Leia turned away from Vader to see Thrawn back on his feet as well, Kenobi standing next to him with his lightsaber returned to his belt.

"Shall we get going?" Thrawn said.

He departed, but the four of them remained behind for a moment longer. Kenobi looked as if he had something to say, but couldn't quite bring himself to speak.

"What is it?" Vader pried.

"I'm glad you all seem to be getting along," Kenobi said.

"Getting along?" Vader echoed.

"You know." Kenobi's eyes lingered on Leia. "Keeping things… cordial."

Cordial hardly described their earlier conversation, but Kenobi didn't have to know about that. Besides, she could understand where he was coming from. All things considered, it was quite remarkable the three of them were tolerating each other as much as they were, Leia especially. She had fought tooth and nail to avoid coming with Vader to Mokivj, but now…

She wasn't sure what had changed, but she no longer despised him as she had the day before. Maybe it was because she had seen who he really was: vulnerable and lonely. For the first time, she knew that Vader was human, and a pitiful one at that.

"Can we go now?" Luke asked.

"Yes, let's," Kenobi said, sparing the run-down room a look of repugnance. He and Luke left in a hurry, Vader on their heels. Yet Leia stayed where she was. She felt a bit choked up all of a sudden.

"Leia?"

There it was again. A profound emotion rippled through her, a feeling so incredible inspired by something so simple. Did he know how much power he had over her? Of course not. He thought himself powerless. She turned to him, saw him standing in the doorway, concern writ large across his face. She didn't know what to say, how to explain…

"You feel her, don't you?"

From the very beginning she had, without realizing, without understanding. But now she did.

"She's here," Leia said, hoarse.

Vader stared at her unflinchingly. "She was. Many years ago."

"No. Right now." She took a step forward, a sudden warmth imbued within her, an unexpected smile playing across her lips. Her hand stretched out on its own accord and rested against Vader's chest. "In here. Always in here."

Leia pushed past him out of the derelict; Vader left behind, but her father still yet ahead, just waiting to be found.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke watched from the corner of the cabin as Thrawn and the Chiss admiral talked with the girls.

"What are they saying?" Luke asked Vanto in a whisper.

"Admiral Ar'alani is assuring them they are in safe hands," the commander told him dryly.

"Oh," Luke said. He supposed that should have been obvious.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go prep the freighter for take-off." The slippery Vanto disappeared into the cockpit and Luke was left alone with Ben.

"What happens now?" Luke asked the Jedi.

"That is always the question, isn't it?" Ben said.

In walked Leia, looking a bit startled when the Chiss girls all turned in unison to stare at her.

"Um… hi," she said. Blinking twice, Leia walked around the Chiss and headed toward them.

"Where's Vader?" Ben asked.

"Oh, he should be along."

Sure enough, Vader arrived a moment later. Luke thought he looked a bit frazzled, but unlike Leia, it had nothing to do with the Chiss girls. Something else seemed to be on his mind.

"Are we ready to leave, Lord Vader?" Thrawn asked him.

"Huh?" Vader looked up. "Leave? Oh, uh… yes."

If Thrawn found this halting response odd, he didn't show it. "Commander Vanto!" he called. "Time to go!"

Luke and Leia both took a seat before the freighter lifted off. They strapped themselves in and watched Vader pace in front of them.

"Is he okay?" Luke asked Leia in a whisper. She merely shrugged in response.

"Admirals, a word?" Ben requested.

Thrawn and Ar'alani were making sure all the girls were properly strapped into the bucket seats. They were acting quite paternal, as odd as that seemed to Luke.

"Yes, Master Kenobi?" Thrawn said, straightening out his back. "Something you wish to discuss?"

"I think it's time we got some explanations," Ben said. He was composed enough, but there was an undercurrent of frustration. Luke felt it as well. They had been entirely in the dark this whole time. "What, for example, was the purpose of this mission?"

"To rescue these sky-walkers," Thrawn answered easily.

"Sky-walkers?" Kenobi echoed.

Thrawn didn't stop to elaborate. "And now, I do believe, we must ask Lord Vader what he prefers." The grand admiral's red eyes flicked to the man in question. "Where to, my Lord?"

Vader ceased his pacing, indecisive in every facet. His eyes darted about the cabin, to Thrawn, to Ben, before settling on him and Leia.

"If I might interject," Ben said.

Thrawn looked irritated. "If you must."

"I have some business to which I must attend. Anakin, you might feel inclined to accompany me."

Vader did not object to the use of this name. In fact, it seemed as if he hadn't even noticed.

"What business, Master Kenobi?" Thrawn asked.

"I must return home," Ben said. His eyes found Luke's and he smiled. "To Tatooine."

Luke felt his eyes go wide. Tatooine was like a distant memory to him now, although it had hardly been a month since he'd left. In that time, he hadn't even thought about going back, about facing his aunt and uncle. And the thought of doing so now struck him as daunting, for some reason.

"Tatooine?" Vader said, sounding as surprised as Luke felt. "Why?"

"You'll see," Ben said coyly.

"As it happens, this works well for me," Thrawn said. "There is something I would like to attend to as well."

Ar'alani asked something in Cheunh, and her blue cheeks turned a bit purple with belated embarrassment. "Forgive me," she said in Basic, her voice richly accented.

"No need to apologize, Admiral," Thrawn said. "My colleague was just asking me to clarify."

"Well?" Ben prompted.

"I was going to wait until we returned to the _Steadfast,_ but I suppose there's no harm in telling you now." The corner of his lips turned ever so slightly, a wry smile to which Luke was already becoming quickly accustomed. "I imagine the other members of your crew have gotten a bit… stir crazy, I believe is the phrase. Am I correct in that assumption?"

"Quite," Ben said.

"Then my suggestion will no doubt be met with relish." Another smile, this one less subtle. "The Emperor has in recent months developed an acute interest in the Outer Rim world of Lothal. I of course have been similarly invested in the world – I first encountered the Spectres on that planet, after all – but despite that, I do not yet understand what has so captivated the Emperor's interest."

"So you wish to investigate?"

"Reconnoiter, more accurately," Thrawn said. "I wish for Masters Jarrus and Bridger to join me, as well as Wren and Orrelios. Their knowledge of the planet no doubt eclipses mine."

"Wait just a minute," Vader cut in, and Luke caught his breath. Was he going to object? Thrawn was committing treason to the Empire right in front of him.

"Yes, my Lord?" Thrawn said calmly.

Again, Vader's eyes darted to him and Leia, their countervailing presence causing him to hesitate. "How do you know the Emperor is interested in Lothal?" he asked.

"He sent Minister Hydan to Lothal a few months ago on a secret mission," Thrawn answered. "There was a great deal of hush around the assignment, only myself and Governor Pryce were made aware of it. I would like to find out what he is up to."

Vader inclined his chin. "Hydan? I know of him. He's a scholar of Sith and Jedi lore."

"Indeed," Thrawn said. "So you can appreciate why I am so intrigued."

"Yes," Vader said pensively. "I can." He furrowed his brow and looked away. "The Emperor should have told me about this mission."

"You think he tells you everything?" Ben asked.

"No," Vader snapped. "I am not foolish enough to think that. But…" He chewed on his lip and trailed off. "I wonder."

"Wonder what?" Luke asked.

"My faith in him has been shaken," he mused. Luke traded incredulous looks with Leia. Had he heard him correctly? It sounded too good to be true! "I would be very curious to learn what Hydan is doing on Lothal," Vader said, turning to Thrawn. "I sense this could be quite significant."

"As do I," Thrawn said, his eyes flashing.

The rest of the journey was made in silence. Vader began pacing once more, willfully ignorant of all the eyes on him. Luke watched him intently, and he could feel Leia doing the same. She was fascinated in him just as much as Luke was. There was some indescribable element which made him so compelling, inimical as his actions might be to that innate feature of his. It was as if he actively sought to suppress himself, replacing charisma with hostility, compassion with condescension. Yet they could see through it. They could see him for who he was, or at least who they hoped for him to be.

And to Luke, it seemed that hope was no longer mere fantasy. Anakin Skywalker was still alive. They all knew it.

Now they just needed him to realize it as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a bit longer for me to churn this chapter out. Not much happened, so it was a tough one to write. The action-paced scenes flow from the proverbial pen far quicker than these sort of scenes do. Next chapter is shaping up to be a fun one, though, so maybe I can get that one out sooner. We'll see. As always, thanks for reading, and hope to see you next time!


	18. Zenith

Obi-Wan stepped into the main hold of the _Falcon_ and released a contented sigh. At last there was one less burden on his shoulders.

"Good news," he announced. "Our debt to Captain Solo is paid."

Luke and Leia, inseparable as always, were seated side by side on the curved bench. They glanced at each other before turning back to him.

"That's good," Luke said, sounding rather unimpressed.

Obi-Wan sighed. Leave it to children not to appreciate the mundanity of pecuniary obligation.

"Thrawn was generous enough to pay on my behalf," Obi-Wan explained even though they didn't ask. "He said he doesn't have any use for all the Imperial credits in his name." Obi-Wan scratched his chin as he considered this. "I wonder how the exchange rates would work out," he mused. "Surely the Chiss must have a currency."

Luke and Leia gave him blank looks.

"Forgive me," he said, smiling wryly. "I'm old. Boring things interest me."

A voice from the hallway startled him. "It has nothing to do with age, Kenobi. You were always a bore."

Obi-Wan turned around, his smile broadening. "Is that so?"

Vader pushed past him into the main hold. He walked toward his children, not an ounce of hesitation in his step. "This man unironically enjoyed meditation," he told them, sparing Obi-Wan a look of mock disdain. "He'd just sit there for hours on end doing nothing."

"Nothing? Is that what you thought meditation was?" Obi-Wan shook his head. "I didn't teach you well at all, did I?"

The levity faltered at that comment, Vader's eyes narrowing. "No," he agreed. "You did not."

The awkward silence was mercifully cut short when Luke jumped in. "Ben started training us on Dagobah," he told his father.

Vader looked at him sharply. "Training? As Jedi?"

"Um… I guess."

Vader didn't say anything to this, his eyes darting back and forth between Obi-Wan and his children.

"We can discuss this later," Obi-Wan said.

"Yes," Vader said. "That we should."

Obi-Wan wrung his wrists. "Well… I'll go tell Captain Solo we're ready to go." He left in a hurry. In the cockpit he informed the relieved Han that he would indeed be compensated. Upon giving him the specific coordinates, Obi-Wan expediently departed for the main hold, stumbling when the freighter took off from the hangar bay.

He returned to find Luke and Leia playing Dejarik on the holoboard. Their interest in the game was clearly minimal, shooting the occasional furtive glance toward their father who was pacing the length of the cabin. Luke was the first to notice Obi-Wan's arrival.

"How long 'til we get to Tatooine?" the boy asked.

"Not long, I figure," Obi-Wan said. "Maybe an hour."

Luke looked anxious. "Okay."

"Something the matter?"

The question seemed to earn Vader's attention. He stopped pacing and turned to the conversation.

"I dunno," Luke said, sullen. "I'm just nervous, I guess."

"What about?" Leia asked.

Luke looked at her. "It's just… I left so suddenly, you know? My aunt and uncle probably think I ran away."

"They don't think that, Luke," Obi-Wan assured him. "I told them what happened."

"But that doesn't mean they believed you. Uncle Owen especially. He never believed me."

"Owen?" Vader interjected. "As in Owen Lars?"

"Yeah," Luke said.

"He raised you?"

"I guess."

Vader set his jaw. "I see."

Obi-Wan knew that expression. It was the look Anakin had when he was struggling to contain his emotion, doing what little he could to emulate his master's impassivity. He had never been good at it. He had never learned to keep his emotions in check.

"Owen and Beru were very generous to care for him," Obi-Wan said. "They did not conspire to hide him from you. They had no idea."

"Of course not," Vader rumbled. "You were the one who conspired."

Obi-Wan's stomach tightened. "I would not use that word."

"Semantics have always been your forte."

"Euphemisms have always been yours."

Vader's brows shot up, surprised by this comeback. He blinked a few times yet didn't offer a retort. He instead returned his attention to his son.

"I met Owen once. He is a good man."

"Really? He never mentioned that to me."

"Perhaps I gave him a bad impression."

"Why?"

Vader didn't answer, his eyes distant. "It's been so long since I've been back," he said to himself. "I never thought I would return."

"That's exactly why I hid there," Obi-Wan said, feeling brazen.

"Yes," Vader said. "I can see why."

Nobody knew what to say after that. After a while, the twins returned to their game and Vader resumed pacing, kneading his forehead with metal fingers as he did. Obi-Wan observed from a distance, motionless against the back wall. The tension was palpable, yes, but there was also a degree of comfort between the four of them. No longer did Obi-Wan feel a tightness in his chest when he spoke with Luke or Leia, and even with Vader, he felt a blossoming camaraderie between them, a cooperation no longer of convenience but of respect, somehow. Of course he could not forget the history between them, nor could Vader. But was it possible they could move past it? Was that already happening?

Only time could tell.

Δ Δ Δ

"Luke, are you okay?"

They'd landed a minute ago, yet Luke had yet to sit up from the bench. He looked at Leia who was standing over him, her lips pressed together with concern.

"Yeah. Fine."

She gave him a knowing look. "You have nothing to worry about. It'll go fine."

"I know."

"Then let's go."

Luke stood up. Leia wouldn't have to drag him this time. He could do this.

"Where's Ben?" Luke asked.

Leia scanned the cabin. "Not sure," she frowned. "Maybe he and Vader left already."

The thought of them alone gave Luke plenty of motivation to get moving. They'd been acting civilly with one another lately, but Luke didn't trust Vader not to snap at something and decide to kill the old Jedi.

He and Leia made their way to the hatch. The air was dry and hot. Luke recognized it at once.

"Oh wow, it's bright," Leia said.

They raised their hands to their eyes when they stepped onto the ramp, the twin suns high in the bright blue sky. The metal sizzled underneath their feet and Luke felt himself sweating nearly instantaneously.

"Is that it?"

Luke followed Leia's finger. About a hundred meters away was the dome of the Lars homestead. It looked quaint, so much smaller than he remembered.

"Yeah," Luke said absently. "That's it."

He felt a hand slip into his own. Leia smiled and Luke felt himself smiling back at her, at his friend.

"Come on."

They stepped off the ramp and began walking toward the homestead. He could tell Leia was having a difficult time with the environment. She squinted and clutched his hand tightly, slipping up a few times in the fine sand.

"You _lived_ here?" she said. "This place is inhospitable."

"You get used to it," Luke said with a shrug.

"I don't think I could."

"Lucky for you, you never had to."

Luke had been wondering about that. How come he had been subjected to life on Tatooine when she had been adopted into the royal family of Alderaan? He wasn't bitter, per se, but it did strike him as odd. Yet another question to add to his list.

But despite not knowing, Luke didn't feel frustrated as he once had. He knew all he needed to know. In fact, he was a bit wary of learning any more than that. For instance, did he really want to know what had happened to Vader? Or was it best to remain a mystery?

They arrived at the homestead and saw Ben emerge from around the dome's perimeter. He looked up and smiled thinly.

"Welcome home, Luke," he said with perhaps a dollop of dry humor.

Luke's eyes darted to the front door. "Where's Vader?"

Ben's smile turned grim. "He'll be along."

Luke was going to ask for Ben to clarify when the door slid open. His heart leapt in his throat when Uncle Owen stepped out with a rifle in hand. His belligerent expression was wiped from his face when his eyes met Luke's.

"Luke?"

"Hi," Luke said, feeling slightly foolish. What else was he supposed to say?

"You're back?" Owen's incredulous eyes narrowed at Leia, but before he could ask the question, Ben interjected.

"Perhaps we should go inside?"

For the first time, Owen noticed Ben. His jaw turned slack. "Obi-Wan?"

"I told you I'd be back, didn't I?"

Owen stared at him for a beat before slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "That you did," he said. "Frankly, I figured I'd never see you again. Either of you."

"Well I'm glad to defy expectations," Ben quipped. "Now, are you going to let us in?"

"Of course," Owen said. "I, um… forgive me. I'm just surprised, that's all." He looked at Luke. "You look fit."

"Thanks," Luke said, prompted by an elbow to the ribs from Leia.

Another beat passed before Owen stepped aside to grant them entry. Ben went first, and this time Leia did have to drag Luke forward, his feet suddenly stuck in the sand. He didn't know why he was dreading this so much. He hadn't left home with the intention of escaping, but now that he was back, it dawned on him how earnestly he had wanted to do just that.

The air turned mercifully cooler as they descended. Luke saw a prominent scratch mark on one of the stairs, and the memory of dropping Chopper flashed before his eyes. He tried to suppress a snicker, but his efforts did not go unnoticed by Leia.

"What?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later."

They reached the commons and again Luke experienced a shock when a familiar voice called out a familiar message.

"Owen? Is that you?"

Emerging from the kitchen was Aunt Beru. She stopped dead in her tracks, eyes at first wide when she saw Ben, then turning wider still when Luke appeared from behind him.

"I don't believe it."

Owen sidestepped him and Leia and hung up his rifle on the wall. "The boy's back," he said, gruff as ever.

Beru was not as unflappable as him. Eyes shining with tears, she rushed forward. "Oh, Luke!" Leia jumped aside as Beru crashed into him, Luke stiff as a board in her embrace. "I was so afraid!" She pulled back and gave his forehead a kiss. "You've grown!" she exclaimed. "Look at you!"

Luke felt overwhelmed by the attention. He reflexively looked to Leia for help, and Beru followed his gaze.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "Who is this?"

Luke found himself faltering. He realized he had never actually said it before. Now seemed as fine a time as ever to change that.

"This is my sister Leia."

He felt a glowing warmth fill his chest at these words.

"Your sister?" Flabbergasted, Beru looked to Ben. "Obi-Wan?"

"Let's talk, shall we?" the Jedi suggested, amusement creasing the corner of his lips.

"We can sit in the dining room," Owen said.

"We don't have to go, do we?" Luke asked impulsively. "I wanted to give Leia a tour."

The question was met with a tense silence and only belatedly did Luke realize why. He'd asked Ben instead of Owen for permission. His uncle looked far from pleased by this slight.

"I don't have a problem with that," Ben said. "Owen?" he added diplomatically.

"Sure," his uncle mumbled.

The adults all spared them one last look before leaving for the dining room. Once they were gone, Leia reassumed her spot by his side.

"Well… that went alright," she said.

"Yeah, I guess." Luke shrugged. He was surprised to discover he didn't really care about what Owen thought of him. He was past that. "Come on," he said, taking Leia by the hand. "I'll show you my room."

There wasn't much to show. His room was just as he remembered it, although perhaps a bit tidier than before. His models were meticulously arranged on the work bench. There was a sleek Imperial shuttle next to a well-polished TIE fighter. Funny. Luke had seen the real deal now, and no longer did the models capture his imagination. Indeed, he was a bit embarrassed, positioning himself in front of the work bench so Leia wouldn't notice them.

Next he took her to the shop where they charged the droids and repaired malfunctioning vaporator units. Luke began to tell Leia a bit about moisture farming, but her eyes quickly glazed over and he gave up. Not like he was interested in it either.

A garage door led back outside. Feeling stifled, Luke decided to open it.

"I'll show you my speeder," he said. "Well, it's not mine, technically, but I'm the one who drives it most."

"I've never driven a speeder," Leia said.

He gave her an incredulous look before the shock of light blinded his eyes. "Never? How's that possible?" he asked, squinting.

"I'm a princess, Luke. I have drivers."

Luke blinked a few times, adjusting to the light. "Oh," he said. "Still. You weren't ever curious?"

"Curious about what?"

Luke shrugged as he led her outside. "I always wanted to be a pilot. Driving was kind of like an in between step, I guess. I was nine years old first time I drove. I wore a fighter helmet and pretended I was in a TIE fighter." Leia laughed and Luke felt his cheeks turn warm. "What?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing," she hastily assured him. "It's just cute, that's all."

Luke frowned. He knew she didn't mean it, but Leia could be a little condescending at times. Or maybe he was just being sensitive.

"Here it is," Luke said, uncovering the tarp to the rusted X-34 landspeeder. "It's a hunk of junk, I know, but it sure can move." Leia nodded, giving the speeder a look over. He could tell she wasn't impressed. "Want to take it for a spin?"

She looked at him sharply. "Don't you have to ask your uncle?"

"Nah," Luke said, waving his hand. "He won't mind."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Come on," Luke whined. "It'll be fun!"

"What if –"

"Oh, would you stop it?" Luke leapt into the speeder and patted the passenger seat. "Get in!"

Leia looked very conflicted, hands on her hips as she bit her lip. Luke rolled his eyes. "Ten minutes max. I promise!"

"Ten minutes?"

"Nobody will even know we'd left. Come on!"

Leia considered a moment longer before folding. "Alright, but it better only be ten minutes."

"It will be!" Luke smiled at her as she walked around the hood and swung the door open to the passenger side. "Oh, wait a second." He reached across to pop open the glove compartment. "Here, take this," he said, handing Leia a sunhat. "It'll help."

"This looks ridiculous," Leia said, wrinkling her nose as she unfolded the hat. "Would you wear this?"

"All the time."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine, I'll prove it." Luke swiped the hat from Leia's hands and placed it on his head. "Believe me now?" Leia held a hand to her mouth, giggling. "What's so funny?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," she said, unconvincingly.

"Not stylish enough for you, is it?" Luke shook his head with mock indignation. "I will have you know this hat is the peak of fashion on Tatooine."

"Oh really?"

"Totally." Luke took the hat off, and before Leia could react, he stuffed it over her head. "See?"

"Luke!" Leia gasped, but she was laughing too hard for him to believe she was truly upset.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Starting the ignition, Luke wasted no time pressing on the accelerator and tearing out into the open desert. "I told you it could move!" he yelled over the wind.

Leia grasped the armrests, back flat against the seat, eyes wide. He couldn't tell if she was terrified or exhilarated. Either way, he couldn't stop laughing at the look on her face.

"Hold on!"

Luke floored it, and the sunhat went flying off Leia's head. The homestead was long behind them, literally left in their dust. Deep into the desert they went. Leia seemed to have relaxed and was now looking around at the landscape: craggy mesas, rolling dunes, the occasional vaporator.

"You know, it's actually pretty beautiful," she said.

Luke didn't really agree, but he gave a perfunctory "Yeah, I guess."

Man of his word, Luke pumped the breaks and spun the speeder around five minutes after he'd left. But rather than driving back, he popped open the door and stepped out.

"Your turn."

Leia's shining face drained of its luster. "What?"

"You said you've never driven a speeder before. Let's change that."

"Luke, I don't think –"

He opened the passenger-side door, ignoring her protestations. "It'll be fine, I swear. I can already tell you'll be a natural."

"Why's that?"

"You're related to me, aren't you? Flying's in our blood."

"I don't know about that," Leia mumbled, but she got out of the speeder anyway. "If we crash, I'm telling your uncle this was your idea."

"Fair enough," Luke said. "But we won't crash."

Leia looked quite pale. She grudgingly walked to the driver's seat and got in.

"It's really easy," Luke assured her. "The left pedal is the break. The right pedal is the gas. Just use your right foot to shift between the two. Got it?"

Leia nodded, knuckles white as she clutched the wheel with both hands. "Got it."

"Then let's go!" With that, Luke's head whipped back as the speeder accelerated. "Woah!" His momentum carried him forward when the speeder slammed to an abrupt stop.

"Sorry!"

"No… no worries," Luke said, patting himself down to confirm he was still in one piece. "That was, uh… wow."

"I don't know what happened!"

"You floored it, that's what happened."

"I did what?"

Luke stared at Leia, mouth agape. So much for being a natural. "It's okay. Next time just be gentler on the gas, that's all."

"Oh… okay." Leia wiped her sweaty brow and took a steadying breath. "Got it."

The speeder started moving again, this time very slowly. Luke glanced down at the pedals. "You can give it a little more than that," he suggested.

It took a few cycles of rapid acceleration and abrupt deceleration for Leia to get a handle on the gas. Once she did, their return trip went smooth enough, much slower than Luke would have preferred, but at least this way they wouldn't die a fiery death. Pluses and minuses.

"Well that was something," Leia said as the homestead came back into view.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Something."

Leia squinted at something on the horizon. "Do you see that?" she said, taking a hand off the wheel and pointing.

Luke followed her finger to see a dark silhouette beneath the suns' zenith. It stood motionless, the figure shimmering in the heat.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Leia asked.

"Most likely," Luke said. That was often the case.

Leia turned the wheel and took them away from the homestead toward the figure on the horizon. She gave the speeder some gas, driving with greater urgency now.

"Yep," she said as they got closer. "That's him."

They slowed to a stop and Luke stepped out of the speeder. Vader was standing with his back to them, the cloak Ben had given him rippling in the soft breeze. He stood vigil, head bowed, hands behind his back. Luke stared at him, unsure if it would be wise to approach. He felt Leia arrive at his side and the pair stood there, watching.

"I know you're there."

Luke and Leia looked at each other.

"Come here."

They both shrugged and collectively decided to oblige their father. They diverged, Leia to Vader's left, Luke to his right, half a step back from the man himself.

"I buried her here twenty years ago."

Three feet away were two humble gravestones. Luke had seen them before, visiting them on occasion with his uncle, stealing away on his own more times than he was willing to admit, in times of weakness, in times of despair, yearning for a connection, for someone to understand him.

_Shmi Skywalker_

Luke hardly knew anything about her. Aunt Beru said she was kind. Uncle Owen said she was gentle. That was all. Yet to Luke this didn't matter. All he cared about was her name. _His_ name. Skywalker. It was a reminder that he was not alone. That he hadn't come from nowhere. He had roots, and he cherished them. The shriveled flowers by the tombstone were testament to that.

"How did she die?" Luke asked.

Vader didn't react to the question. He just looked at the grave unflinchingly, his eyes pensive and melancholy. "Tusken Raiders," he said finally. "They took her. I wasn't around to stop it. I should have been."

Nobody spoke for there was nothing to say. Three Skywalkers stood side by side: contemplating, reminiscing, commiserating.

A few long minutes passed. Luke heard crunching footsteps. He wanted to see who it was, but he wasn't going to break the vigil. Besides, he knew who it was anyway.

"Anakin."

Vader sighed. "What is it, Kenobi?"

"It's time."

"Time for what?"

Vader turned around, Luke and Leia turning with him as if performing a sort of synchronized routine. Ben was standing by the speeder, watching them with a most curious expression.

"The reason I brought you here. I need you to come with me."

"Alone?"

"Alone."

Vader didn't look happy about this. "What about –"

"Your children can wait here. I'm sure they will be alright."

Vader was silent. He turned back to the grave one last time. Luke and Leia stepped aside, giving him some space. They watched as he sunk to his knees and scooped up a handful of sand in his hand. The grains slipped through his fingers and Vader pressed a palm to the earth. He closed his eyes and spoke a few silent words.

A moment later the metal man got to his feet, his movements rigid as he spun away from the grave. He didn't look at anyone as he walked to the speeder and got in the passenger side, head ducked, eyes averted. Unable or unwilling, Luke did not know.

Ben hopped into the driver's seat and drove away. Luke stood there watching the receding speeder.

"Was this his mother?" he heard Leia ask.

Luke turned to her. "Yeah. Our grandmother." Leia wiped at her eyes. He understood her emotion because he had felt it before. The pang of nostalgia for something he'd never known; the hollow feeling of being abandoned, not by anyone in particular, but by the universe at large.

He wrapped an arm around his sister and Leia rested her head against his shoulder. Beneath the twin suns, the pair stood guard over their past, determined to protect it, to preserve it, and do right by it. In the whistling wind, they heard the echo of a voice, barely audible but plainly clear, plaintive with remorse and bitter with anguish.

_I promise, I won't fail again._

Words ringing in their ears, the twins turned from their grandmother's grave and walked ponderously to the homestead.

Δ Δ Δ

Vader had to duck underneath the short doorway as he followed Kenobi into the hut. It was humble as could be: sandstone walls and dusty floors. There was a circular table with a bench wrapped around it, ruggedly hewn into the wall. Kenobi dragged his hand across the table's surface as he passed it.

"You lived here?" Vader asked.

"I did."

"For how long?"

There was a loud creak as Kenobi opened a wooden crate. He looked up.

"Ever since the Republic fell."

Vader looked away, a dull prickle in his fingertips, phantom sensation, he knew. "Why did you bring me here?"

Kenobi closed the crate. His hands were clasped in front of him, and Vader was at once curious to know what he was holding.

"Take a seat," the Jedi requested.

Vader started toward the bench, but Kenobi shook his head. "Not there."

"Then where?"

"On the floor. Like I taught you."

Vader looked down. He didn't meditate on the floor anymore. It was too painful. For more reason than one.

"Follow my example, if you must." Kenobi sat down in front of him, legs crossed, serene in posture and in spirit. Hands still clasped, he held them out, heels against the floor. He brushed away the dust and pulled his hands away, the object he had been holding dropping to the floor with a singular thud.

"That's a kyber crystal," Vader said, kneeling down to get a better look. He reached out to touch it, but Kenobi grabbed his wrist.

"Do you recognize it?"

Vader met his former master's eyes. He felt a spike of anxiety. They were very close to each other. Drawing back, Vader shook his head.

"Should I?"

Kenobi looked disappointed. "Perhaps not," he said. "But still…" He traced a finger along the crystal's edge, a gentle touch, tender almost. "You feel nothing at all?"

Vader began to grow angry. "If you let me touch it –"

"With what hand?"

Vader's face turned to steel. "Give it to me," he snapped. Kenobi did nothing to stop him when he swiped the crystal off the ground. Of course he felt nothing. How could he?

"It's green," Vader observed.

"Yes."

"Who did it belong to?"

"My master."

Vader looked up sharply from the crystal. "This is Qui-Gon's?"

Kenobi bowed his head.

"How do you have this?" Vader asked.

"I took it from his lightsaber before the funeral."

"You did? But –"

"I wasn't supposed to. Sacrilege, I know."

Vader was surprised. Of all people, Kenobi was the one he'd never believe to break the rules. "Why are you showing me this? To reminisce?"

Kenobi didn't flinch at the accusation. "I want you to speak with him."

Speak with him? Was that what he had just said? Qui-Gon Jinn was dead. Everyone knew that. "What are you talking about, Kenobi?"

"I will show you."

"Show me what?"

Kenobi held out his hand, withered and old. It trembled.

"The crystal."

Vader dropped it into Kenobi's outstretched palm.

"Master Yoda taught me to communicate with him."

Vader's felt his heart rate pick up. He assumed Kenobi's position, crossing his legs as if he were the obedient student once more. "You can speak with the dead?"

"No. Not quite."

"Then…?"

"Qui-Gon learned to preserve his consciousness after death. His connection to the material world is fragile, but a trained Force wielder will be able to communicate with him."

Vader looked away with a frown. "You intend to teach me this ability?"

"Teach you? No. That is the one thing I cannot do, Anakin. We both know that."

It hurt to hear the remorse in his voice. Kenobi blamed himself for what happened. Why couldn't he just blame Vader? He had every right. It would make everything simpler for the both of them if they could just hate each other.

But they didn't. Not completely, at least.

"Then why am I here?"

"I will show you." Kenobi set the crystal down on the floor between them. He splayed his hands out on either side of it, fingers stretched as far as they would go. Realizing what he wanted, Vader did the same, metal fingers an inch away from Kenobi's flesh ones, the crystal a bridge between them. "Now close your eyes. Give yourself to the Force."

Vader hated it when Kenobi used to tell him this. He hated giving up control. But that's what he did right now. Releasing a breath, he released his sense of self along with it; fears and doubts, pain and guilt, all of it he let go. Perhaps he had learned how to meditate after all, but not in the way Kenobi taught him. Without it, Vader might have lost sanity long ago. Meditation helped keep the torment at bay, contextualized it, identified it, mitigated it.

He was not at peace. He was in stasis. Separate from the world, isolated and contained. That was what the Force provided him: numbness.

But that numbness was shattered when he felt something brush against his hands. It wasn't possible! He had no sensation in his hands! They were metal, soulless. And yet he felt it. It was warm, it was exhilarating, it was terrifying. His eyes flew open.

Kenobi's hut was gone. The world was black and empty, twinkling pinpoints of light in the distance, not unlike stars yet Vader somehow knew them not to be. He held up his hands and saw them to be flesh once more. He curled the fingers in astonishment, relishing the feeling of wholeness. It was an illusion, just like the apparition of his mother had been. He knew this to be true, and yet it felt so real!

_It is real, Anakin._

Vader started at the voice. It surrounded him, the air diffused by its rich tenor, rippling and undulating. It sounded so soothing, so assured. And so familiar. He had not heard this voice since he was a boy.

"Master?" he called to the void. "Where are you?"

_The Force surrounds you, Anakin. It will guide you if you let it._

"I don't understand."

_You don't have to. Let go of yourself and do what you know is right, for that is the will of the Force._

"But how will I know what's right? Master, I've never known what's right!"

_You do know, Anakin. You've always known. Listen to those closest to you. They understand you better than you do; love you more than you love yourself._

"Love me? No one loves me. Not anymore."

_You know that's not true, Anakin._

He wanted to argue, but he found he could not. Qui-Gon's voice had that effect. No matter what, he couldn't help but agree with him. He was that confident, that sagacious.

"Tell me, Master." Vader's eyes implored the darkness, seeking the distant light, yearning for an answer. "Am I the Chosen One?"

_What do you think?_

Vader did not hesitate. "No." Qui-Gon was silent, disappointed perhaps. "How can I be? After what I've done? What I've lost?"

_If you believe that, then you are not the Chosen One._

Vader felt a colossal weight lifted from his shoulders. "Really?"

_You have to believe in yourself. As long as you do not, you cannot be the Chosen One._

"I will never believe in myself. There is nothing to believe in."

_Others might disagree._

"Such as yourself?"

_I believed in the boy I met on Tatooine. I believed in him and I loved him._

Vader's bitter retort caught in the back of his throat. Qui-Gon loved him? It must be a lie. No Jedi knew love.

_Listen to those who love you, Anakin. Cherish them as they cherish you. Only then will you see yourself as they do._

"And how is that?"

_As a friend. A father. A brother. That is who you are. That is who you must be._

_The Force will be with you, Anakin Skywalker._

_Always._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on Tatooine where we began! This was such a fun chapter to write. Hopefully it was fun for you to read as well! Nothing much to say here, I guess. As always, thank you all for reading and reviewing! I figure this story's wrapping up soon-ish (ten more chapters, maybe?) but I'll let you know when I get a better idea of that.


	19. Found

Leia followed Luke down the stairs toward the commons of the Lars homestead. They were both subdued, absorbed in their thoughts.

"Luke?"

Leia blinked her eyes back into focus. She saw Luke's aunt, her kind face solemn.

"Would you join us at the table? Your uncle and I would like to talk with you."

Luke looked at Leia. She gave him a reassuring nod.

"Okay," Luke said. "Can Leia –"

"Of course," Beru said at once. She offered her a weak smile which Leia found herself unable to return. "With me, if you would."

Beru led the way across the commons past the central vaporator unit. They arrived in a bucolic dining room. The sloping walls were whitewashed save for the ceiling which was painted a black and red pattern. It was not unlike Maul's tattoos, Leia thought to herself. How odd.

"Take a seat, both of you."

That was Luke's uncle. The rugged man sat at the head of a kitchen table made of white plastoid. He considered them closely, eyes dogged underneath his heavy lids. Following Luke's example, Leia sat on Owen's left-hand side while Beru took the one chair to her husband's right. The four of them looked at each other for a tense moment before Owen began.

"Kenobi gave us the long and short of things. Needless to say, Beru and I were… well, _are_ a bit… surprised."

"Surprised?" Luke echoed. "You mean to say you had no idea?"

Luke's aunt and uncle traded looks. "We knew some things," Beru said cautiously.

"Like what?"

"We knew about your parents, but –"

"Parents?" Leia interjected. "Plural?"

Beru seemed taken aback by the urgency in her voice. She blinked a few times and turned to Owen for help.

"We didn't know anything for certain," he said. "Kenobi kept us in the dark for the most part. He said it was best if we didn't know certain things."

"Certain things? Like who my parents were?" Luke asked.

Owen squared his shoulders, shrugging perhaps, but in a decidedly defensive way. "We kept you safe for sixteen years. If we hid anything from you, it wasn't without reason. We did what we had to do."

Prosaic as he may be, Leia understood what Owen was trying to say. But Leia couldn't find it in herself to be sympathetic. She wanted answers.

"Tell us what you know," she demanded. When Owen frowned, she added a delayed "Please."

Owen and Beru looked at each other again. It seemed as if they were waiting for the other to say something, neither willing to begin. Finally, it was Beru who spoke.

"We only met your father once. He was a young man, twenty perhaps. He was a Jedi Padawan at the time. He'd come back to Tatooine to find his mother." Beru pressed her lips together tightly. "She had been captured by Tusken Raiders a week before Anakin arrived. Cliegg told him there was nothing he could do, but Anakin didn't accept this."

"What happened?" Luke asked.

"Don't know for sure, but it's not hard to put the pieces together," Owen said, dropping his elbows on the table and brooding at his fists. "The kid came back with his mother's body and a whole village of Sand People got wiped out. There used to be some reasoning with them, but not after that. That boy lit a fire and left the rest of us to put it out."

Leia placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. She knew he would be upset by this. He would deny it, of course. His father would never. Leia knew better. She knew what Vader was capable of. That was exactly the sort of thing he would do.

"Anakin wasn't alone when he came to Tatooine," Beru said, picking up where Owen left off. "He was accompanied by a young woman."

Leia felt her throat tighten. Her hand slipped from Luke's shoulder. "Who was she?"

"Her name was Padmé. She was a senator in Anakin's protection. Apparently she had been the subject of several assassination attempts."

"A senator?" Luke asked. "Do you know from where?"

Leia answered before Beru could. "Naboo. She was from Naboo."

Everyone looked at her, but Leia didn't register their perplexed expressions. Her ears were ringing, fingers and toes quite numb. She was stunned. Padmé Amidala. The senator and queen of Naboo. Her father's former friend and political ally. The woman she'd revered for as long as she could remember, her shining icon and inspiration.

Her mother.

She felt Luke nudge her. "Leia?" he asked. "Leia, how did you know that?"

Leia couldn't answer. She was unable to speak. Her father had known. Of course he had. Why else would he have told her so much about her? She had thought it was merely because he respected her, the late great senator, champion of liberty and stalwart against tyranny, but now she knew the real reason. Had he felt guilty? He should have. How could he not have told her? Why would he have hidden something so important from her?

A long shadow fell upon the table and Leia was pulled from her thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Luke; Leia. Time to go."

She saw Owen's eyes widen at the unannounced visitor. Leia turned as well, feeling a bit dazed as she did, and saw Vader standing in the arched doorway, hands on his hips, blue eyes shining. He somehow looked different from how she'd last seen him. That's when she saw it; Dangling from his belt, a lightsaber, its lustrous metal glinting, looking so natural against his hip.

"Skywalker," Owen said, his tone just short of an accusation.

"Lars," Vader replied evenly. He nodded at Beru. "Thank you both for looking after my son."

Owen and Beru blinked a few times in astonishment. They were clearly intimidated by Vader's imposing physique. Leia could understand why. Seven feet tall, arms and legs of steel, his face gaunt and waxy. Yet despite that, she could also see that he was becoming more human by the day. His hair was beginning to grow back, a dusting of stubble on his head and cheeks. More subtly was the softening of his features. Before he had almost always been frowning, sneering, snarling. Now he was placid, the ghost of a smile occasionally at the corners of his lips, an even rarer glimmer of playfulness in his eyes. Leia had convinced herself she was imagining things, but now she could deny it no longer. Basked in the bright light of Tatooine's suns, his outline glowing a rosy red, Leia saw a changed man, an invigorated man, a restored man.

"Where's Ben?" Luke asked.

"On the _Falcon,_ " Vader said. "Captain Solo is going to bring us to Mos Eisely."

"You're leaving?" Beru interjected.

Vader considered her, expression inscrutable. "I will allow you to say goodbye to Luke." He flicked his wrist at her. "Leia. With me."

She bristled at this authoritative command, but Leia also felt a fuzzy feeling in her chest, supplanting her indignation with jittery excitement. Vader wanted _her._ His daughter. What was wrong with her? How had she gotten so attached to this man? He held an unknown charisma, belied as it was by his stark exterior. It was that indescribable element, that intrinsic charm which had her so captivated.

Leia followed her father – Vader, that is – out of the dining room and across the commons. They didn't speak, each mired in their respective musings. Or perhaps, Leia suddenly thought, Vader was considering the same question she was. She looked up at him cautiously. He of course revealed nothing. But even in his impassivity, Leia could glean something. No longer did he seem tense in her company. No longer did he call her 'the girl' or simply 'you'. He was, if not comfortable, at least familiar with her now. And that's all she could really ask for, wasn't it?

They reached the surface and Leia decided it time to try her luck.

"Padmé Amidala."

Vader stopped in his tracks. He didn't look at her, his posture stiff as he stared off at the _Falcon_ in the distance.

"She was my mother?"

"How –"

"Owen and Beru just told us."

Vader clenched his hands into fists. "They had no right –"

"Don't be angry at them," Leia pleaded. She placed a hand on Vader's forearm and his head snapped to her. Collecting herself with a breath, Leia continued. "It's my fault. I was asking questions. They told me what they knew and I put the pieces together."

Vader was frozen. It seemed she held some power over him, just like he held power over her.

"I know about her. My –" Leia caught herself just in time. "The Organa's told me stories."

"Stories?"

"You know. About what she did as queen and senator. How she fought for liberty and justice."

Vader didn't seem to register this pointed comment. He turned away and shook his head, the look on his face pained.

"If you don't want to talk about it –"

"I do not," Vader said harshly. He bit his tongue. "Not… not yet."

 _When?_ Leia wanted to ask, but she knew better. There were times to push him, but now was certainly not one of those times. She had to remember that even though his limbs may be steel, the man himself was made of glass. One wrong word could shatter him to pieces. Perhaps it was best to shift gears entirely.

"Where did that come from?" Leia pointed to the lightsaber on Vader's belt.

Vader gave the weapon a pat. "Kenobi returned it to me."

"Returned? How did he have it in the first place?"

Vader's expression turned stormy. "He took it from me after he mangled my body and left me for dead on Mustafar."

Leia gaped at him, his vicious words cutting deep to her core. "He… what?"

"Didn't tell you that, did he? I'm not surprised."

"He did this to you?"

"He took three of the four," Vader said, suddenly nonchalant. "The right arm I lost three years earlier."

"But –"

"But what?"

Leia gulped. "He healed you."

The oddly blasé look vanished from Vader's face. Yet he didn't seem upset. It was more like he was confused, as was Leia.

"That he did."

Vader curled his mechanical fingers, his eyes distant as he gazed upon them.

"My past is full of horrors, Leia." He looked at her and Leia felt the breath leave her, again stunned by the effect he could have simply by saying her name. "But the future…" He left this statement open-ended, perhaps expecting her to fill it. Yet she couldn't. All she could do was stare at him. Vader chuckled to himself and turned away. "I don't know what to think."

Leia felt herself smile. That confession – pathetic, woeful, pitiful – was exactly what she wanted to hear from him. Vader wasn't a slave to the Empire anymore, although she doubted he knew that. But Leia knew. She could tell. The man before her wasn't the one she had first met on the _Chimaera_ not so long ago. He was not healed – indeed, he was as scarred as could be – but that didn't mean he was broken. He was being reconstructed, and Leia would do what she could to help.

And so she found herself stepping toward him, her feet acting on their own, ignoring the panicked orders her brain was giving her to abort. Vader didn't seem to notice until she was already upon him, arms wrapped around his wiry frame, head tucked into his chest. She could feel the ripple of shock run through him. He didn't move, but that suited her just fine. She merely hugged him as one might hug a tree trunk.

And it felt so right. It felt so real. Her father was here and she wasn't letting him go. Not now that she'd finally found him.

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan watched from the top of the ramp as the three Skywalkers made their way through the desert to the _Falcon._ With shrewd eyes he saw Vader walking as if in a daze. On his left was Luke. The boy looked quite eager to leave. Obi-Wan noticed he didn't once look back at the homestead. He had a large rucksack slung over his shoulder and had changed out of Captain Solo's oversized garb in favor of a loose linen shirt and pants. Right of Vader was Leia. She looked a bit uncomfortable in the heat, but he could sense a sort of smug pride radiating from her. On occasion she would glance up at her father with a subtle smile at the corner of her lips. What could that be about?

"All ready?" Obi-Wan called when the three were close enough to hear.

"Yep," Luke and Leia said in synchrony. Vader didn't seem to register the question. Sparing him one last curious glance, and then another nostalgic one for the homestead in the distance, Obi-Wan turned to reenter the _Falcon._ He brushed down his sandy robes and waited for the Skywalkers to join him.

"We received a transmission an hour ago," he said when they were all on board. Luke pressed the panel on the wall and the ramp began to retract behind him.

"From who?" Vader asked.

"From whom," Obi-Wan corrected.

"What?"

"He's correcting your grammar," Leia said. She placed a hand on Vader's arm, startling him. Obi-Wan too was surprised. Young Leia seemed remarkably comfortable around her father all of a sudden. What had happened to the girl who had broken down in tears when learning the truth of her parentage?

"Oh," Vader said, scowling. "I'm not in the mood, Kenobi."

"Forgive me," Obi-Wan said. "It's reflexive."

"Who contacted us, Ben?" Luke asked.

"Who else? The grand admiral."

"And?" Vader prompted.

"With me, if you would." Obi-Wan swept his hand, beckoning them to follow. They did so, his three pupils – former or otherwise – falling into step behind him. They arrived in the main hold to find Han and Chewbacca lounging on the bench, the holonet projected from the checkered table.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," Obi-Wan said. "We're going to require this projector."

"Sure," Han said, standing up. "Nothing to watch, anyway."

Obi-Wan leaned down to fiddle with the projector. Thrawn's figure emerged. The blue-tinge, he couldn't help but think, seemed appropriate for once.

" _Master Kenobi; Lord Vader. I hope your venture on Tatooine has been successful. Our mission to Lothal has proven to be quite valuable indeed. I am transmitting coordinates to a world chosen by Commander Vanto for us to rendezvous. He and an associate of mine will be waiting for you there. If Captain Solo would be so generous as to make one last journey, I assure he will be compensated in full. It is my hope we will hear from each other soon. Thrawn out."_

The grand admiral's projection flickered out, replaced by a string of coordinates. Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at the many digits before they too disappeared and the projector went dim.

"Could he be any more vague?" Vader groused.

"Maybe he's afraid about the message being intercepted," Luke said.

"Doubtful," Obi-Wan said, stroking his beard. "The contents of this message are damning enough. If he was concerned about it being intercepted, he would have spoken in code. This was fairly direct, albeit unspecific." Obi-Wan relayed the message in his head as he considered. "I wonder…"

"What?" Leia asked.

"Anakin? Your thoughts?"

Obi-Wan turned to Vader. He didn't respond right away, perhaps taking objection with the name, but he ultimately decided not to reproach Obi-Wan for this.

"I sense this could be very significant," he said. "Thrawn seemed very excited about something. Thrawn doesn't get excited about anything. Whatever it is… I would like to find out."

"Likewise," Obi-Wan agreed. "Captain Solo?"

"One last ride?"

"That's right."

The captain looked at his first mate. "Can't hurt," he said, and the Wookiee growled his agreement. "Alright, we'll do it. But you better keep to your word. One trip, that's it."

"I'm a man of my word," Obi-Wan insisted. "There and back. That will be all."

Han took another moment to consider. "Let me go check the fuel reserves. We should have enough, but I want to make sure. Where am I taking you guys this time?"

"Wild Space, it seems," Obi-Wan said.

"Huh," Han said. "Never been myself. But it'll be far away from Imperial eyes, if that's what you're worried about."

Everyone turned to Vader. Realizing they were expecting something from him, the hulking man merely nodded.

"Indeed," he said.

Han blinked a few times. "Alright then. Be right back." He and Chewbacca hurried away toward the engine room. When they were gone, all eyes once again returned to Vader.

"Well?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well what?"

"How are you feeling?"

"About what?"

"About everything?"

Vader frowned. He looked at his children, Leia first then Luke. He seemed a bit distant.

"I think…" he began before trailing off. Refocusing his eyes, Vader turned to Obi-Wan with a purpose. "I would like to take over their training."

Obi-Wan hadn't been expecting that. "In what sense?"

"They are my responsibility. This is my burden, not yours."

Burden? A curious choice of phrase. "How will you train them?"

"What do you mean?"

"As Sith?"

Vader stared at him blankly.

"As Jedi?"

"Neither."

"Neither?"

"I will train them as they are meant to be trained. How they need to be trained."

"And to what end?"

"Excuse me?"

"What is the purpose of this training?"

"My children must attain their true potential."

"Why?"

"Because I say so!"

Vader was growing frustrated by the line of questioning. Anakin had never liked answering questions in this way either. Perhaps introspection had never been his forte. Well, it wasn't Obi-Wan's either.

"You must address the shadow, Anakin. The shadow that looms over all of this."

"And what's that?"

"Need I say it?"

No. Of course he didn't. They all knew.

"This does not concern me now."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Think again, Anakin. As long as the Emperor lives, you and your children will be in peril. You must choose."

"Choose what?"

"Between him or them."

He and Vader both looked at the twins.

"To me, the answer seems obvious," Obi-Wan said.

But to Darth Vader, nothing was ever obvious. Such was the tragedy of his life.

Δ Δ Δ

Luke and Leia were crowding Captain Solo in the cockpit. They had just emerged from hyperspace to be greeted by a small planet, its surface a golden yellow, puffy white and grey clouds rolling across its atmosphere.

"Where are we?" Luke asked.

"Let me see," Han said, glancing at the navcom. "Kavash System, apparently. That there is Kavash VII."

"It doesn't have another name?"

"None that I know of. Wild Space is weird, kid. Hardly anyone lives out here."

"Yeah. Weird."

Losing interest, Luke and Leia looked at each other. Without saying a word, they agreed to leave the cockpit.

"Something happened, didn't it?" Luke asked his sister.

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell. You seem different."

They stopped at the end of the hallway by the hatch door. Leia turned to him with a smile.

"I guess," she said.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I just…" She looked away, seeing their reflections in the hatch window. "I have hope."

"For Vader?"

"Yes." She reached out and grabbed his wrist. "And for us. For everything." She smiled again, her face bright. "It's all going to work out, Luke. I can tell."

Luke wasn't sure what to say to that. "If you say so."

Leia laughed. Opening the hatch door, she pulled him along, out of habit so it seemed. Together they arrived in the main hold to find Ben meditating on the floor. Hearing their steps, the old Jedi quirked a brow and opened his eyes.

"We've arrived," Luke announced.

"I see."

"Where's Vader?" Leia asked.

"I don't know. Did you wish to speak with him?"

"No," Leia said. "Just curious, that's all."

Ben got to his feet. The process seemed arduous for him. "Tell me," he requested, a grimace painted across his weary features. "What are your thoughts on him?

Luke hesitated, but Leia was more than happy to answer for them both. "He's afraid, I think."

"Of what?"

"Of us. Of himself."

"And you resent him for that?"

Leia looked confused. "Resent him? No, of course not. I pity him."

Ben tilted his chin. "Yes," he said. "I pity him too."

Seemingly unable to make eye contact with either of them, Ben looked to the floor. The pain in his face had yet to relent. Without thinking, Luke punctuated the silence with the question which had been on his mind since Tatooine.

"Did you know her?"

Ben frowned. "Her?"

"You know," Leia said. She, of course, was on the same page as him. "Our mother."

Ben's face turned very white.

"We know who she is," Luke said. "Her name was Padmé. Aunt Beru told us." Ben remained silent and Luke felt the need to press him. "Leia says she was a senator. You must have known her."

"I did," Ben admitted.

"What was she like?" Leia asked.

Ben crossed the room toward the curved bench. He sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I hardly even know where to begin."

Luke and Leia silently agreed to give him time. The Jedi stared at the checkered table, mired in memories, collecting his thoughts, or so Luke hoped.

"She loved him to the end. I didn't understand it. I still don't." He shook his head. "That's not true. Of course I understand." He looked up and attempted a weak smile. "Your mother was a remarkable person. I first met her when she was fourteen years old. She was Queen of Naboo at the time."

"At fourteen?" Luke asked.

"Indeed," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. "She was brave, bold, brilliant. A true leader, an inspiration to us all." He sighed. "But she was more than that. She was a great politician, but a better person. She was kind, empathetic. She cared about others. An exceedingly rare trait, in my experience."

Ben fell silent again, and in the vacuum, Luke found his thoughts wandering. He had a picture of her in his mind. She looked quite a bit like Leia, but older. She was smiling at him. He felt a warmth fill his chest, followed thereafter by the sharp pang of loss. He would never know her. She would forever be but a figment of his mind.

"You must forgive me," Ben said finally. "I fear I'm not doing you justice by this description."

"That's okay," Leia said. "We understand."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "That's good." He didn't need to know more than that. Because any more, and Luke would be forced to start asking himself questions. How did she and Vader fall in love? How did it all fall apart? How had she died? He didn't want to know. He didn't _need_ to know. Ignorance was bliss, so they said.

A minute later, Captain Solo told them over the intercom to strap in. There was a bit of turbulence as the _Falcon_ made its way through the atmosphere of Kavash VII. Luke and Leia took a seat on the bench beside Ben. Vader emerged from the hallway, in blatant defiance of the captain's order.

"We've arrived?"

"We have," Ben confirmed.

Five minutes passed and Luke felt the ship come to a gentle stop. He had to admit, Captain Solo was a great pilot.

Leia was the first off the bench. "Coming?" she asked Luke.

"Yep."

He stood up and the siblings looked at Vader, the man aloof with his arms crossed. There was a tense moment, and Luke suddenly realized their predicament. What should they call him? But it seemed Leia knew just what to do.

"Father?"

The oxygen was sucked from the room. Vader's eyes snapped up to stare at his daughter. He was stunned, as was Luke. Yet Leia acted oblivious to the tension.

"Are you coming?"

Vader seemed to realize his mouth was agape and he quickly closed it. "I, uh… yes. Yes, of course."

Leia beamed at him. "Okay. Let's go." She spun on her heel and walked away, leaving three stunned men in her wake. They all blinked at each other for a moment before Ben broke the silence.

"You heard the princess," he said, speaking to Vader. "Shall we?"

Vader gave the Jedi a look before swiftly leaving the cabin after Leia. Now it was Ben and Luke left alone.

"Well," Ben said, rubbing his hands together. "That was something."

"Yeah," Luke agreed dazedly.

"But no need for delay." Ben took a step toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Onward, my friend."

Luke and Ben left the main hold together. Reaching the exit hatch, they stepped off the ramp and Luke got his first look of Kavash VII. The first thing he noticed was the sky. It was vaguely green, but not in the way Mokivj's had been. There was nothing radioactive about this tint. It reminded Luke of the sea glass he used to see at the market in Anchorhead.

As he refocused his attention to their immediate surroundings, Luke saw an endless sprawl of tall yellow grass. It swayed gently in the breeze, making it look like golden waves of an ocean, alive and vibrant, cascading and rippling. He could scarcely imagine a more beautiful scene.

At the bottom of the ramp stood Vader and Leia, side by side. Beyond them was a small shuttle, identically designed as the one they had taken to Mokivj. Luke strained his eyes and saw two figures at the shuttle's base. They seemed to be waiting for them.

"Is it Thrawn?" Leia asked.

"No," Vader said. "Someone else." He took off toward the shuttle with long, impatient strides. Leia glanced over her shoulder at him and Ben.

"I don't understand. I thought Thrawn was going to meet us here."

"We must have arrived first," Ben said. "Remember what he said. Commander Vanto and an associate were supposed to meet us here."

"Oh, right," Leia said. She looked back at the shuttle on the horizon. "An associate. I wonder who that could be."

A few minutes later they would find out. Following Vader's trail through the grass, the three of them arrived to find Commander Vanto accompanied by a tall Chiss man. He had an angular face and keen eyes. He looked very much like Thrawn, Luke thought, but perhaps that was just because he hadn't seen many other Chiss.

"Lord Vader," the Chiss greeted, his voice richly accented. "My brother told me a great deal about you."

"Your brother?"

The Chiss smiled thinly. "I am Mitth'ras'safis, Syndic of House Mitth. You may call me Thrass. Mitth'raw'nuruodo is my brother."

"I see," Vader said. "And where is Thrawn?"

"He is en-route," Commander Vanto said. "I suspect he should be here within the hour."

"Thrawn has always been punctual," Thrass added.

Vader nodded. "Any news on how his mission to Lothal went?"

"I suspect we are just as in the dark as you, Lord Vader," Thrass said. "My brother was especially vague. For good reason, I am certain."

Vader seemed less certain, but he didn't say so. Instead he looked around at the fields surrounding them. In his eyes Luke thought he could see, if not the same sense of wonderment he had experienced, at least a begrudging appreciation for the planet's beauty.

Thrass said something in Cheunh to Vanto. He then offered the rest of them a brisk nod and turned to return to the shuttle.

"Syndic Thrass needs to make contact with the Supreme General," Vanto informed them before they could ask.

"The Supreme General?" Ben echoed.

"Former Supreme General, that is," Vanto amended. "General Ba'kif is Thrawn's greatest ally, along with Admiral Ar'alani."

"A great ally, you say?" Vader said. "Yet you just told us he no longer holds his rank."

Vanto looked pained. "This is true. Thrawn's allies are few and far between. He is a polarizing figure in the Ascendency."

"And in the Empire," Vader said.

"Indeed. He tends to make more enemies than friends."

"Which begs the question," Ben interjected. "How does he view us?"

"His view is irrelevant," Vanto dismissed. He looked at Vader shrewdly. "It is how you perceive him which is most important."

Vader did not offer a response. If Luke had to wager a guess, he'd say Vader wasn't sure what to think of Thrawn yet. Luke could relate if that was the case. While Thrawn had proven to be a useful ally, Luke couldn't yet forgive him for what had happened on the _Chimaera._ Thrawn was ruthless, Luke knew it.

Without anything else to do, Luke and Leia waited idly. They sat in the field, a little ways away from the freighter, basking in the pleasant sunlight, far less intense than that of Tatooine. They talked to fill the time. Leia told him a bit about Alderaan. She sighed as she described Appenza Peak, the famed mountain of her home world.

"I had to climb it earlier this year. That feels so long ago now."

"Do you miss it?" Luke asked. "Home?"

Leia leaned back on her palms and considered. "I don't know," she said. "I do and I don't. It's just not the same anymore."

Luke could understand. Returning to Tatooine had revealed how out of place he felt there. It wasn't his home, not after everything that had happened.

With the conversation in a lull, the pair defaulted to looking back at the shuttle. Ben was meditating again, cross-legged at the base of the ramp. He sure did that a lot. A little ways away was Vader. As usual, he was pacing. Blowing off steam, most likely.

"You said you have hope," Luke said.

"I do."

Luke screwed up his face.

"Hope," he echoed.

"What about you? Do you have hope?"

He looked at Leia. "I don't know," he admitted. "But…"

"But what?"

"I want to."

Leia nodded. "That's good."

"Yeah," Luke said absently.

That had always been true, hadn't it? He had always wanted to have hope, yet never had been audacious enough to truly have it. He supposed he was timid. Uncle Owen had molded him in that way. But now…

"My life has changed so much so fast. Just a month ago I was fixing vaporators and dreaming about going to the Imperial Academy. But then Ezra showed up and took me on this big adventure. And then you came along, and everything changed."

"For the better?" Leia asked.

Luke couldn't help but laugh. For the better? Had she really asked that? Of course for the better!

"Leia, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't even know who I was until I met you."

Leia smiled, a bit sheepish but clearly moved. "I feel the same."

The sound of engines had them looking to the sky. Jumping to his feet, Luke saw a second shuttle descending toward them.

"Come on!" Luke said excitedly. He took his sister's hand and ran back toward Ben and Vader. "They're here!" he called.

Ben looked a bit irked to have been disturbed from his meditation, but Vader was clearly relieved. Stomping back toward the shuttle, he craned his head to the sky.

"I sense something," he mused. "Something I have not felt in a long time."

"What is it?" Leia asked.

Vader ignored the question. "You feel it too, Kenobi?"

Ben slowly got to his feet. Again, Luke was struck with how difficult it seemed for him.

"I do," the Jedi said. "But I'm not sure I believe it."

"Oh I believe it," Vader said darkly.

The second shuttle set down in front of them. Thrass and Vanto emerged, yet neither said a word.

"What's taking so long?" Luke asked Leia in a whisper.

Just as he said this, the hatch to the shuttle opened. A ramp unfurled and out came Thrawn. He wasted no time walking toward them. He greeted Thrass first.

"Brother," he said with a slight bow of his head.

"Thrawn," Thrass replied.

"Where are the others?" Vader asked.

Thrawn turned and offered him the same bow. "They are with me. Our mission was quite the success."

Yet Vader was no longer listening. He and Ben looked beyond Thrawn toward the open hatch. Luke followed their example to see an unfamiliar figure at the top of the ramp. It was a slender woman with orange skin and a colorful head tail of sorts. Belatedly, Luke recognized her species. This was a Togruta. He'd never seen one before.

"Obi-Wan," she said to Ben in a frigid voice. Her eyes turned narrow as they flicked to Vader. "Anakin."

Luke caught his breath. She knew who Vader was? How was that possible?

"Ahsoka," Vader said. "You survived."

"No thanks to you."

Clearly Luke was out of the loop once again. He glanced at Leia and saw she was just as puzzled as he was.

"We should talk," Ahsoka said finally.

"Yes," Thrawn agreed, sounding oddly merry. "We have much to discuss, Lady Tano. Much indeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Did it really take me 90k words to introduce Ahsoka? Forgive me! But she's finally here, so we can all rejoice! And don't forget about Thrass, he's here too! For those of you who have read _Chaos Rising_ you'll know Thrass is no longer canon (or at least, he's no longer Thrawn's brother), but I'm just going to pretend that didn't happen. Next chapter will answer all of your lingering questions, I'm sure. Until next time!


	20. Beauty

Vader stood in front of the hatch. He kept a cool demeanor – arms crossed, eyes firm – but that projection belied the extent of his anxiety. Ahsoka was staring right at him. Why wouldn't she look away? She didn't even blink!

"Let us begin, shall we?"

Thrawn, as always, was either oblivious or indifferent to the tension in the room. He and his brother had asked Vader, Ahsoka, and Kenobi to accompany them to the cabin of the shuttle. They were alone and away from the prying eyes of the twins. At least Vader could take solace in that.

"Ahsoka, how did you survive the Purge?" Kenobi asked. The old Jedi was seated in a bucket seat opposite the Togruta.

"That's a long story," Ahsoka said coldly. "One I'd rather not recount right now."

"I thought you were dead," Kenobi said.

"I thought the same of you. I thought I was the only one to survive."

"You're not far off. Master Yoda is still alive. As is Jarrus. But other than that…"

He and Ahsoka both turned to Vader. They wanted him to corroborate this.

"I do not know of any other survivors," he said.

Ahsoka's face twisted with contempt. Vader had to turn away, unable to bear the look she was giving him.

"How did Thrawn find you?" Kenobi asked.

Ahsoka shifted her attention to him, and Vader released the breath he had been holding. "It was Ezra who saved me."

Kenobi was surprised. "Bridger?"

"I was on Malachor dueling with him." Ahsoka crooked a thumb at Vader. "He was going to kill me, but Ezra came just in time."

"You were dueling… Vader?" Kenobi's head was on a swivel, back and forth between him and Ahsoka. "That's not possible. We've been together all this time."

"That was a year ago," Vader rumbled.

"It was," Ahsoka assented. "But Ezra pulled me into a portal of sorts. When we came out on the other side, I was in the future… or present, I guess." She glanced at Vader. "Clearly a lot has changed since then."

"Indeed," Thrawn said. All eyes turned to the grand admiral. "I have no knowledge of the Force. Nor do I ascribe to its religion. But it seems to me that this meeting may have been, as it were, ordained."

"Ordained?" Kenobi echoed.

"What is it you Jedi often say? That it is the will of the Force that events unfold? Were I to believe in such things, I would no doubt surmise that the Force has willed this entente into being."

"Entente? There's no entente!" Ahsoka raised from her seat and pointed a finger at Vader. "He tried to kill me! I wanted to help him, and he wouldn't even listen!"

"But look at him now. Is he not a changed man?"

"Physically," Ahsoka dismissed. "That's not what matters."

"What say you, Anakin?" Kenobi asked.

Vader had no response. Fleetingly, he remembered that he ought to be upset with Kenobi for using that name. But now he realized he didn't mind. Perhaps that was change in and of itself? But what did it mean to change? Change into what? Into his weaker self. Into a fool! He wasn't a fool. Not anymore.

"I do not wish to kill you Ahsoka," he said.

Ahsoka tilted her head skeptically. "Oh really?"

"Not then. Not now."

"Then why –"

"I'm sorry."

Ahsoka was stunned into silence. She blinked a few times, her narrowed eyes turning wide.

"For everything."

Vader bowed his head, a colossal shame weighing him down. The silence was agonizing.

"It's not too late to make amends, General Skywalker," Thrawn said. Vader looked up and saw his red eyes twinkling. "The five of us may seem a meager sum, but should you choose to become our leader, there is nothing we could not accomplish." Vader was silent, unsure what Thrawn meant, and indeed a bit defensive about the implicit accusation. "I may not be popular in the Syndicure, but my brother has the connections necessary to facilitate a summit."

"A summit, you say?" Kenobi inquired.

"The Ascendency is on the verge of fragmentation. But you, Lord Vader, have the power to unite them."

"I have no such power," Vader said at once. He could only ever destroy. Not once had he ever built something, not once had he ever salvaged anything.

"Oh, but you do," Thrass said. The two Chiss brothers traded looks before the statesman resumed. "The Syndicure has been infiltrated. Family rivalries have been exploited to turn Chiss against their brethren and obfuscate the true, external threat. Yet your testimony on Mokivj will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the Grysk who pose the ultimate threat to the Ascendency."

"Why should they listen to me?" Vader asked.

"You are a hero," Thrass said at once. "You rescued our sky-walkers. The Ascendency will forever be in your debt for this great deed." The Chiss statesman then bowed and Vader felt his face turn warm.

"A united Ascendency will be a powerful ally," Thrawn contributed. "Once the Grysk are defeated, the Expansionary Defense Fleet will be assist you in whatever endeavor you seek to pursue."

"I have no endeavors," Vader growled.

"You have no objection with the current order?"

"None."

"And what of your compatriots? Do you think Master Kenobi and Lady Tano are as satisfied as you?"

"No, but –"

"And what of your children? Do they share this mindset of yours?"

"Children?" Ahsoka interjected. "What children?"

A look of triumph came across Thrawn's face. "Why, I believe you saw them earlier," he said. "Princess Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker. They are Lord Vader's twin children."

Ahsoka turned to him with her mouth agape. "I had no idea –"

"Neither did I," Vader snapped. "But this is irrelevant."

"Hardly," Thrawn said, and his voice turned stern. "Those children saved your life on the _Chimaera_ when everyone else would have left you to die. Master Kenobi then restored you to your health despite having no practical reason to do so. You are in their debt, Anakin Skywalker, just as the Chiss are in yours. I promise you we Chiss will uphold our bond. The question is: will you do the same?"

Δ Δ Δ

"I don't understand," Leia said. "You mean to say you… went back in time?"

"Yep," Ezra nodded, shockingly nonchalant about the prospect of time travel. "That's what happened."

"That's not possible."

She and Luke were seated in the grass by the two shuttles. Ezra was seated opposite them, knees held to his chest, a distant look in his eyes. A little ways away, Kanan was speaking softly with Sabine and Zeb. The elder Jedi on occasion would shoot a furtive glance in the direction of his Padawan.

"I don't know what to tell you," Ezra said. "I entered the Temple on Lothal and found Ahsoka dueling Vader on Malachor. It sounds crazy, but that's what happened."

"And who is Ahsoka, exactly?" Luke asked.

"She's a Jedi," Ezra said. "Well, sort of."

"Sort of?" Leia echoed.

"She left the Order before it fell. But that doesn't matter anymore. She's as much a Jedi as I am." Ezra looked away toward the horizon where the _Millennium Falcon_ had once been. Captain Solo had departed a few hours ago, and Leia found herself feeling oddly glum that he and his freighter were gone.

"She knows our father. How?"

Ezra's eyes darted to them both. He frowned, and only then did Leia remember he didn't know they were twins. Of course not. Nobody had ever told the Spectres that. But to Leia, it seemed obvious to her now. Of course Luke was her brother. What else could he possibly be?

"Wait –"

Ezra didn't get a chance to ask because just then one of the shuttle hatches popped open. The three of them turned to see Vader marching down the ramp, followed closely by Kenobi and Ahsoka. Thrawn and Thrass remained in the ship, so it seemed.

"Leia; Luke," Vader called. They both jumped to their feet. "I want you to meet Ahsoka." He stepped aside and gestured limply to the Togruta.

"Hi," Luke said.

"Pleasure to meet you," Leia added, correcting her brother's lack of manners.

Ahsoka's lips twitched. She eyed them both with unnerving scrutiny, her eyes at once incisive and playful.

"How old are you two?" she asked.

"Sixteen," Luke answered.

"Seventeen, almost," Leia said. Empire Day was coming up. It was regretful that her birthday should take place the day after that loathsome holiday.

"I see," Ahsoka said. "So you were born just after the war." She turned to Vader. "Care to explain?"

"What is there to explain?" Vader said.

Ahsoka scowled at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ezra cut her off.

"You guys are twins? Why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't know until recently," Luke said.

"You didn't know? How is that possible?" Ahsoka asked.

Leia saw Kenobi squirm. "Perhaps we should –"

Ahsoka raised a finger. "You separated them, didn't you?" Kenobi was silent and Ahsoka shook her head. "Unbelievable. Did you really learn nothing?"

"I will not be lectured by the likes of you, Ahsoka," Kenobi fired back. "I did what I thought was right at the time."

"But –"

"And now I regret that choice."

Ahsoka gave him a curious look. "You do?"

"Absolutely," Kenobi said, bowing his head. "But amends have been made. They are together, as are we. The grand admiral was quite correct. Our coming together is no mere accident. This is the will of the Force."

Ahsoka snorted. "I don't believe in that," she said. "Not anymore. The Jedi always said stuff like that, and look how it worked out for them."

"Be cynical if you must," Kenobi said. "Believe me, I understand the temptation. But let us not think of the past, but of the future. Anakin wishes to train his children, and you and I must assist him."

"He does?" Ahsoka asked, giving Vader a look. "As Sith, I presume?"

"No," Vader said.

"Then as what? Not as Jedi, certainly."

"No."

Whereas before Vader had been uncomfortable when Kenobi pressed him on this question, now their father was entirely certain.

"I will train them as my children. Neither Jedi nor Sith. But as they are. As Skywalkers."

Kenobi and Ahsoka were both stunned. Leia was not. She just felt happy. Smiling at Vader, he tentatively attempted to return the favor.

Kenobi cleared his throat and spoke. "Anakin, this is all very well and good, but you have yet to give Thrawn an answer."

Vader sighed. "I need to think."

"Think? Think about what?" Ahsoka asked. Rather than answering, Vader turned from her and walked away. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Kenobi held out an arm to stop her from pursuing. "Let him go," he said.

"I don't like this, Obi-Wan," Ahsoka said, keeping her voice low even though Vader was several dozen meters away. "I don't trust him."

"Why not?" Leia asked.

Ahsoka gave her a sharp look. "You're awfully fond of him, aren't you?"

Leia could only shrug.

"So were you, Ahsoka, if you don't mind me saying," Kenobi said. Ahsoka clearly _did_ mind him saying that, but the Jedi ignored the look she was giving him. "Tell me what happened on Malachor. Jarrus told me a bit."

"He tried to kill me, that's what happened," Ahsoka bit out. "I asked him to come with me, but he wouldn't listen."

"Things have changed since then, Ahsoka," Kenobi said. "You can see that, can't you?"

Ahsoka gritted her teeth and didn't respond.

"I know he hurt you. And he hurt me too. But he is our greatest hope. If you can put aside –"

"Put aside? Put what aside, Kenobi? The fact that he betrayed all of us? The fact that he killed –"

Kenobi raised a hand to stop her. "No," he said, voice ominously low. "Not here."

"Why not?" Leia asked.

Kenobi and Ahsoka snapped to her.

"I'm not oblivious, you know. I know what he did. I know the crimes he's committed."

"You don't know the full story, Leia," Kenobi said.

"Maybe not," she conceded. "But I don't need to."

"You might think otherwise were you to learn more."

Something in his voice gave her pause. What could possibly be worse than slaughtering the Jedi? She had figured that out quite quickly and had, after some tribulation, come to terms with it. But Kenobi seemed to think there was something even worse which she knew nothing of.

"You're right, I don't know him. Not like you do," Leia said. She felt bitter to even admit that. Her own father, a stranger. "But Luke and I understand him better than anyone."

"Is that so?" Ahsoka asked, eyebrow arched.

"Yes, we do. He's not perfect. Far from it. But nor is he evil. He's angry and bitter and scarred, but he's not irredeemable."

"I tried to help him," Ahsoka said. "It failed."

"You were alone," Leia said. "No one person can save him. He needs all of us. He needs us just as much as we need him."

Ahsoka seemed unconvinced, but she didn't offer a rebuttal. Instead she eyed Leia even closer than before. Feeling supremely uncomfortable, Leia instinctively shuffled a step closer to Luke.

"You are very wise, Princess," Kenobi said.

"Yes," Ahsoka agreed, yet without the same warmth.

They all turned to the horizon where Vader's silhouette could be seen standing stationary a hundred meters away. His figure shimmered as the sun descended, the golden fields basked in a fiery light.

"We can only hope you are right," Kenobi said. "For all of our sakes."

"Don't worry," Leia said, sparing her brother a smirk. "I usually am."

Δ Δ Δ

"She's quite the character."

Obi-Wan snorted his agreement. He and Ahsoka were at the top of a grassy knoll a little ways away from the two shuttles. Obi-Wan was seated cross-legged on the ground – his aching limbs would permit no other posture – while Ahsoka was lounging by his side with her legs sprawled in front of her. They held their hands to their eyes to fend off the fading afternoon light as they observed Anakin's children from a distance. Luke and Leia alone were cheerful amidst the gloomy Spectres, talking and giggling about something. Bridger, who was pacing with hands stuffed in his pockets, would shoot them the occasional irritated glance, no doubt unbeknownst to the two Skywalkers.

"She's very much like him," Obi-Wan said.

"I can see that," Ahsoka murmured. "But she looks very much like her mother." Obi-Wan gave her a sideways look and Ahsoka chuckled. "Yes, I knew."

"I suppose it isn't a surprise," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin was never good at hiding it."

"No, not at all."

The pair fell silent, drifting in their thoughts for a moment. Obi-Wan craned his head to the sky and sighed.

"You know," Ahsoka said, "I see a bit of myself in her."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Ahsoka made a sardonic sound. "She's blinded by him."

"By Anakin?"

"I was the same. Never thought he could do anything wrong." Her expression turned sour. "If only I had listened."

"To whom?"

"To Maul."

Intrigued, Obi-Wan turned to her. "Maul? When did you meet him?"

"On Mandalore during the siege."

"Yes, of course. I forgot."

"Well I didn't," Ahsoka muttered. "He wanted me to join forces with him."

"To what end?"

"To defeat Sidious."

"You refused, I take it?"

"Not at first. I would have taken his hand. I should have done it."

"Why didn't you?"

Ahsoka shook her head and tore up a handful of grass from the earth. "Because of him." Obi-Wan didn't understand, but he knew better than to pry. "Maul foretold Anakin's fate. He knew what he would become, but I refused to listen. I was just a girl. I thought my master was infallible."

"You can't blame yourself."

"I don't. I blame him."

Obi-Wan was disheartened to see her like this. He remembered Ahsoka as being buoyant and endlessly optimistic. Yet the woman before him was dissimilar to that girl in every way. She was cynical and beleaguered.

"Maul's dead," Obi-Wan said bluntly.

Ahsoka shot him a look. "Did you kill him?"

"No."

"Then how?"

"He sacrificed himself to Sidious so I could escape with the twins."

Ahsoka stared at him, her expression utterly bewildered. "Explain."

Obi-Wan did. He told her about the pact they had formed on Tatooine after Bridger escaped with Luke. Then he told her about their futile mission to Alderaan and how they had infiltrated the _Chimaera._

"Vader nearly killed you," Ahsoka interrupted when he told her how Maul had intervened on his behalf.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "But instead it was Vader who almost died."

"Thrawn mentioned that," Ahsoka said. "You healed him? How?"

"With Master Yoda's teaching. But that's another story."

"Yes, I'm sorry. Do continue."

"Maul told me to train the twins. He knew that they were the key to bringing balance to the Force."

"But why didn't he train them himself?"

Obi-Wan looked away as he considered. It was a question he had asked himself many times before.

"He must have believed in me," he said.

Ahsoka tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress her skeptical reaction. "I thought Maul hated you," she said.

"He did," Obi-Wan said. "But in the end…"

"What?"

"He changed, Ahsoka. He made peace with me, and I with him. We both changed in that moment." He placed a hand on her boot and gave it a pat. "And that's why I have hope. Anakin can change. I know it."

"He's gone, Obi-Wan. My master never would have done the things he has done."

"You're right," Obi-Wan said. "The young man we knew is gone. But that doesn't mean someone else might yet emerge. It's already happening. I know you can see it too. He's no longer Darth Vader, not fully at least. His children are transforming him into a new man."

Ahsoka didn't say anything. He could tell she wanted to fight against this argument. Obstinate as always, just like her master.

"Help us, Ahsoka. I beg you. If not for Anakin, do it for his children. For their mother. For the Force itself, if you must think of it that way."

Ahsoka bowed her head and smiled rather grimly. "You've always been a master manipulator, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan laughed. "I prefer negotiator, but yes."

The two old friends fell into silence. With nothing left to say, perhaps it was only natural they turned their heads to the east. There they saw him, standing motionless at the horizon; pondering, deliberating. He was the man they both loved and despised in equal measure. He was the man they were entirely dependent upon.

All they could do was pray he didn't let them down a second time.

Δ Δ Δ

The sun on Kavash VII was big in the sky, a brilliant gold. The surrounding sky accentuated the star's splendor. Streaks of pink and orange layered the horizon like sweeping strokes of paint while carmine clouds drifted lazily across the canvas.

Beauty was not something Vader had appreciated much over the past sixteen years. He could blame the suit for that in part. Everything he saw was colored in shades of red; cold and clinical. But on a deeper level he understood there hadn't been anything of beauty worth seeing. Never since she died.

The world had been bleak before her. Tatooine was drab, colorless. He went about his life without considering much of anything. Fixing junk in Watto's shop, making sure his mother got enough to eat, dreaming about podraces. Everything was small, unimportant, uninspiring. Then she came along and everything changed. Life became vibrant. The world gained a beauty which he had never before seen. And it all served to heighten her own. She was the center of it all, the shimmering nucleus of all that was good, right, and yes, beautiful. She was everything and everything was her. But then…

_It seems…_

_In your anger…_

_You killed her._

Darkness reigned, ranging from oppressive and malign to bland and stale. He felt nothing. Nothing but grief, that is. She was gone. He had killed her. He had ruined everything. But now…

_She's here._

_In here._

_Always in here._

His children were beautiful. They were her. Physically, the girl looked so much like her mother. In heart, the boy was much the same. At first he had been afraid of them. He tried to keep them at arm's length. Yet he had failed. He was weak. He couldn't stop himself from loving them, from seeing her in them.

He needed them. They brought color back to his world; they gave purpose to his life. And in return…

In return, he would give them everything.

Staring at the sun, it all seemed so simple. Why was he even hesitating? He had to remind himself things weren't so easy. He wasn't the same man he had been before. Back then, everything had either been right or wrong. Black and white. But it wasn't true. He had told himself he was doing it for her, but in the end…

In the end he had done it for himself. And in his greed, he had lost her.

He couldn't make the same mistake. His children were too precious. Whatever he did, he had to make sure he would keep them safe, from the galaxy, yes, but more importantly, from himself.

Anakin Skywalker had been rash, reckless, dangerous. He had been a fool.

Yet Darth Vader had been a fool as well. He had pledged himself to a monster and allowed himself to be shackled a slave once more.

A new man would have to emerge. A wiser man, a stronger man.

The man his children needed. The man he should have been. The man he could yet become.

All he had to do was make a choice. And to him, it seemed the easiest choice he had ever made.

Δ Δ Δ

The sun had dipped beneath the horizon an hour ago and the sky was rapidly darkening. A gentle breeze rustled through the valley, but the air was still pleasantly warm. Eyelids drooping, Luke stretched his arms and yawned.

A few feet to his left, curled up with her knees to her chest, was Leia. The princess was fast asleep and snoring. More than happy to follow her example, Luke was about to close his eyes when he heard footsteps. Perking up, he looked around. The two shuttles surrounded their makeshift campsite. The Spectres were bunking in the shuttle nearest him and Leia while the two Chiss brothers plus Vanto were aboard the opposite one. Looking in the direction of the farthest shuttle, Luke saw two figures approach.

"Ben?" Luke called. He kept his voice down so as not to wake Leia. "Is that you?"

The Jedi held a glowrod in his hand which made his features look gaunt and ghostly. By his side was the Togruta Ahsoka. She too looked eerie in the dim light.

"Where is Vader?" Ben asked.

"I don't know," Luke said. Sparing a glance for his sister, Luke got to his feet as quietly as he could. "Where do you think he could be?"

Neither Ben nor Ahsoka answered. Instead, they looked beyond him at something in the distance. Realizing what they must be looking at, Luke turned around as well to see him approaching. Vader's shadowy figure, practically indistinguishable from the darkened backdrop behind him, nevertheless seemed somehow changed. He carried himself with greater resolve, his back erect and his head held high. The wilt in his posture, ever present in spite, or perhaps because of his metal limbs, was now gone.

"Luke," he said as he approached. "You're still awake."

"I am, but Leia's not." Luke gestured to his sister. "Keep your voice down."

Vader came to a stop. He looked down at Leia and tilted his head. Then, much to everyone's surprise, he kneeled down by her side. He extended a finger and gently traced her cheek.

"Is she cold?" Vader asked, practically whispering.

Luke frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I can't feel."

Oh, of course he couldn't. Vader had no feeling in his hands.

"No, I don't think so," Luke said. "It's not that cold."

"I suppose not." Vader stood back up. "Come," he said. "Let's give her space."

Luke followed his father a little ways away toward the opposite shuttle. Behind them, he heard Ben and Ahsoka follow.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, craning his head to look at Vader's face. "You seem different."

"Different?"

"Yeah."

Luke couldn't see clearly in the twilight, but he thought Vader might have smiled. "I am well, Luke. Thank you."

He stopped and turned around. Luke found himself doing the same, instinctively imitating his father's posture: arms folded and feet spread wide. Ben and Ahsoka stopped as well. The two Jedi traded inscrutable looks.

"Well?" Ahsoka said. "Have you decided?"

Luke nearly jumped when Vader placed a hand on his shoulder, but it wasn't for fear. He hadn't expected it, that's all. "I have," his father said.

"And?"

"Tomorrow we go to Csilla to speak with the Chiss." Vader looked at him and this time there was no doubt he was smiling; wanly, nervously, but certainly smiling. "It's time to do what's right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Creative energies are, unfortunately, a finite resource, and these past few weeks I've spread them thin across my two other projects. But hopefully this chapter was worth the wait!


	21. Decay

Csilla was a cold planet.

Thrawn had equipped them all with an assortment of winter gear, but Luke, inured as he was to the Tatooine heat, was shivering in spite of the layers.

"I can't feel my fingers!" Luke hissed to Leia.

His sister gave him a dubious look. "It's really not that bad, Luke. Look at Ahsoka. She's fine."

Walking ahead of them was Ahsoka and Thrass, the pair deep in conversation. Neither seemed perturbed by the cold. Ahsoka was especially nonchalant considering she hadn't even put on a coat. Her shoulders were exposed, as were her horns and head tail. Did she have any nerve endings there? Or was it more like hair? Luke had no idea, but he certainly wasn't going to ask. Ahsoka intimidated him.

"How much further?" Luke asked.

"No idea," Leia said.

The capital city of Csaplar was a ghost town. They walked down a deserted street covered with ice. The buildings flanking them were tall and impressive, but no lights shined from the windows. Those made of pervious materials – brick and plaster for the most part – were dilapidated and decaying; in one case quite dramatically: the entire structure had collapsed and all that remained was a heap of snowy rubble. The grander buildings of durasteel or plastoid held up much better, but even so, Luke could sense a supreme emptiness about them, as if nobody had stepped foot in them for years.

Luke glanced over his shoulder. Behind him and Leia was Vanto and Thrawn. They walked in silence with their heads bowed. Vader took up the rear a few dozen meters beyond them. He followed the procession with slow, ponderous steps. Was he having second thoughts? Luke hoped not. His choice to join forces with the Chiss had stunned Luke, but more than that, it had made him happy. So irrationally happy. Was everything solved? No, of course not. Yet to Luke, it felt like they had turned a new page. He and Leia could take pride in their father without feeling guilty or conflicted.

" _This is great, isn't it?"_ he had asked Ezra back on Kavash VII the morning after Vader made his decision.

" _Yeah, sure,"_ his friend mumbled.

The thought of Ezra made him sad. He no longer resembled the buoyant boy he had met on Tatooine a scant few months ago. Returning to Lothal had changed him. While Ezra had been reticent, Luke and Leia managed to extract the details out of Kanan.

" _Things are bad on Lothal, I'm afraid,"_ he had said.

" _Bad how?"_ Leia asked.

" _Governor Pryce has enforced martial law. The Empire is ravaging the planet for resources and forcing people into work camps or factories. It's brutal, absolutely brutal."_

So the Spectres had chosen to return to Lothal rather than accompany them to Csilla. It had been a somber departure. Everyone knew it was a risk, and an unnecessary one at that. But Ezra had been adamant.

" _Lothal is my home,"_ he said. _"I have to do this."_

He and Luke had shook hands, both hoping they'd see the other again. But Luke was nervous. He knew Ezra was rash, especially when it came to things he cared deeply about. He just hoped Kanan would be there to keep him out of danger.

Luke returned to the present when Leia tugged on his sleeve. She glanced back to Vader before leaning to his ear. "Why do you think Kenobi didn't come?" she asked.

"Ben?" Luke frowned. "I dunno. Maybe it's too cold for him."

"I'm concerned about him, Luke." Again, Leia looked to Vader, her eyes furtive. "Do you remember how he was on the _Chimaera?_ "

"Uh… no," Luke said. He didn't remember much at all about that other than rescuing Vader from the wreckage. Maybe he'd blotted the rest out of his memory.

"I saw him. He was fighting off dozens of stormtroopers at once. He looked invincible. But now…"

Luke understood what she was saying. He tried not to notice it, but it was hard not to. Old Ben was living up to his moniker. More and more lately, it seemed he was unable to keep pace with them. He tired easily, and even simple motions – standing up, walking, even meditating – were performed with a grimace.

"Maybe he's just stressed," Luke said. "Plus, he's pretty old, isn't he?"

"Not really," Leia said. "He's only in his fifties."

"How do you know?" Luke asked.

"Ahsoka told me."

"She did? When?"

"On the flight over."

"Why were you asking her about Ben?"

"I wasn't. Not at first, at least. I asked her about… well, about _him_."

Luke didn't need to ask who that was. "You did that without me?" he asked, indignant.

"You were asleep, remember?"

"Oh." Luke smiled sheepishly. "I guess I was."

"Well you didn't miss much. She isn't exactly the loquacious sort."

"Huh?"

"She didn't want to talk about him."

"Oh, okay."

Why hadn't she just said that in the first place? Leia used weird words sometimes.

"So anyway, I asked her a bit about the Clone Wars. She didn't tell me much, but apparently she and Kenobi butted heads a lot back in the day."

That didn't surprise him in the slightest. Ahsoka seemed to be an argumentative sort.

"Well, let's hope they don't do that anymore," Luke said. He'd heard enough arguing over the past few weeks to last a lifetime.

They kept walking in silence. Luke rubbed his arms together to fend off the chill. He kept his head down, not wanting to look at their depressing surroundings. He wouldn't say it out loud, but Luke was disheartened by what he had seen of Csilla. Thrawn insisted the Chiss would be a powerful ally, but the state of their capital hardly substantiated that claim.

For a second time he felt Leia tug on his sleeve. "Luke, look!"

He raised his head to see Thrass and Ahsoka had come to a stop. The Chiss statesman had pulled out a handheld device and was typing something. He finished what he was doing and looked up.

"We've arrived," he announced.

They had? But they were standing in the middle of the street. There were no markers to indicate they had reached a location of significance, much less the High Chamber of the Syndicure. But evidently Leia saw something he didn't.

"See?" she said, pointing at a spot on the ground by Thrass's feet. "It's moving!"

Luke squinted at the icy ground. Only then did he notice the circular seal in the asphalt. Dim blue lights surrounded its circumference, pulsating in and out. They began to spin, and as they did, Luke realized the seal itself was rising like a corkscrew. It continued to rise until it was taller than Thrass itself. Luke and Leia craned their heads in awe.

"It's a turbolift," a voice said.

The twins jumped. In their awe, neither had noticed Vader sneak up behind them. Turning around, Luke saw their father looming above them, his eyes deadest on the turbolift which had risen from the ground.

"Correct," Thrawn said, and Luke saw the grand admiral standing a few feet away next to Vanto. "It will take us to the true capital."

"The true capital?" Leia asked. "What do you mean?"

"That was out of line, Thrawn," Thrass scolded. "Csaplar is our capital."

"Yes, yes," Thrawn said, his face bland with disinterest. "That is what they tell us to say, isn't it?"

Thrass frowned. "Are you sure you want to accompany us, Brother?"

"Of course I'm coming," Thrawn said. "Why would I not?"

"I know you consider it ancient history, but many of the syndics still have unfavorable opinions of you," Thrass said.

"You mean they hold grudges," Thrawn said.

"That would be the less tactful way to say it, yes."

Thrawn shook his head. "Thurfian is no longer a syndic, is he not?"

"No," Thrass said.

"And Ba'kif will be there, won't he?"

"In an unofficial capacity, yes."

"Then I will be fine."

Thrass seemed unconvinced, but he held his tongue. Thrawn strode forward, Vanto quick on his heels, and entered the turbolift when its doors slid open.

"Brother?" Thrawn asked. "Are you coming?"

Thrass turned to address the rest of them. "We will have to split up," he said. "Thrawn and Commander Vanto will wait for you below. I will go onward to address the Syndicure before your arrival. Is this satisfactory?"

Luke could tell Ahsoka did not find this satisfactory in the slightest, but Thrass didn't give her the chance to say so.

"Very well," he said. Turning swiftly, he stepped into the turbolift. A moment later, the doors closed behind him and the turbolift plummeted back whence it came.

Luke and Leia stood in front of their father, a human shield of sorts between him and Ahsoka. There was a tense moment as they all waited. Ahsoka refused to look at Vader, her eyes steadfast on the circular chasm in the ground. Whether it be absentminded or not, she kept her hands on her lightsabers, fingers curling against the hilts as she kicked at the snow underfoot.

"How are you feeling?"

Leia had turned to Vader, her head craned to meet his eyes. She held her hands behind her back, swaying back and forth a bit. Was she nervous, perhaps? To be addressing Vader in this way, so casually, without accusation. It was no doubt a foreign experience for her.

"Cautious," Vader answered.

Luke turned around as well. "Do you trust them?" he asked.

"Oh, I trust them enough," Vader said. "But this…" He looked around at their surroundings, at the frozen city. "This is not encouraging."

"Did the Jedi teach you nothing?" The three Skywalkers started at Ahsoka's unexpected contribution. Vader's expression hardened as he looked up at her.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Look beyond the surface, Anakin," Ahsoka said. Just then, the turbolift emerged from the earth, spinning slowly to a stop. "In this case, quite literally." The doors opened and Ahsoka stepped in without a second glance for them.

"She's got a point," Luke said. "I think there's more than meets the eye here."

"You think that, do you?" Vader said.

"Yeah," Luke said without hesitation. He looked up at his father. "I've found that that tends to be the case."

Vader considered him. "Perhaps you are right," he said. He hesitated, and then suddenly added: "…my son." Nodding to himself, Vader walked past him and Leia toward the turbolift. Yet Luke seemed unable to follow. He felt frozen in place, yet the cold had nothing do with his paralysis.

"Luke," Leia said. "Come on."

"Yeah," he said dazedly. "Coming."

Leia looped her arm into his and dragged him along with her. Luke was grateful. She always seemed to know when he needed help.

The turbolift ride, while awkward, was mercifully brief. Luke and Leia stepped in and the doors closed right away. They stood in two rows, the twins in front, Vader and Ahsoka behind them. Nobody said a word as the turbolift descended.

When the doors opened again, they found Thrawn and Vanto waiting for them, as promised. Leia exited first, followed closely by Luke. He looked around at the vaulted hallway in which he found himself. The curved walls were striped with blue lights just like the ones he had seen on the seal above ground. It illuminated the hall in cold colors, and it made their skin look blue as if they were Chiss as well. Leia and Vader especially, since they were both so pale.

"What is this place?" Ahsoka asked.

"The underground tunnels of Csaplar," Thrawn said. "This is where the capital moved after the surface became inhabitable." The grand admiral smiled slyly. "If Thrass were here, he would admonish me for sharing that information with you. It is a major state secret which the Syndicure does not want revealed."

"So why are you sharing it with us?" Vader asked.

"Because," Thrawn said, red eyes brightening, "you are friends of the Chiss. We keep no secrets from our friends."

"I doubt the Syndicure would see it that way."

Luke swung his head toward the foreign voice. It belonged to a woman, and its rich accent made him think of Ar'alani. Yet the figure standing a few yards away down the hallway did not look like the Chiss admiral. She was shorter and stockier, but her presence was no less commanding. Whereas most Chiss had cold, impassive faces, this woman's was round and kind.

"Che'ri," Thrawn said, a warm smile on his blue lips. Luke blinked in surprise. He'd never seen Thrawn look so genial. "You've been practicing, I see?"

Che'ri smiled back at Thrawn as she walked toward their group. "Eli is a wonderful teacher," she said. "Although I'm afraid my Basic is still a bit… what's the phrase? Rusted."

"Rusty," Vanto corrected.

Che'ri's smile widened. "Case in point."

Thrawn said something in Cheunh, eliciting a chuckle from the fellow Chiss. He stepped toward her to plant a kiss on both cheeks. Again, Luke found himself surprised. He glanced at Vanto to see the commander's reaction, yet his face was unreadable as always. He acted as if this was entirely normal behavior. For all Luke knew, maybe it was. Maybe Thrawn really was a different person amongst his brethren. Then again, Thrass had said on many occasions that Thrawn was not popular amongst his own kind.

"The general and I must be going," Thrawn said, turning to Vader. "Are you ready?"

"My children are coming with me," Vader said.

"I'm afraid they cannot," Thrawn said. "My brother believes the Syndicure will be more receptive to you alone."

"But –"

"It's okay," Leia interrupted. She shot Luke a look and he knew what she was going to say before she said it. "We'll be fine, Father."

Her words – or rather, the one word – had the intended effect. Vader's face softened. Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw Ahsoka's lekku twitch.

"Che'ri and Commander Vanto will keep them company," Thrawn said. "But now we really must be going."

"Very well," Vader said.

"Good luck," Leia said with a smile.

Vader nodded, his blue-lit face blanching. He looked more nervous than Luke had ever seen him.

"General?" Thrawn said, hand outstretched. "After you."

Vader ducked his head and plowed down the hallway. Thrawn licked his lips, his confident expression somewhat strained, and turned to follow. Side by side, Luke and Leia watched their father leave.

"What do you think?" Luke asked.

Leia's eyes darted beyond him to Vanto and Che'ri. "I just hope Thrawn keeps his mouth shut," she said in a whisper.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "That would help." For as great of a military mind as Thrawn was, it was clear even to Luke, who considered himself a bit obtuse in this respect as well, that the grand admiral lacked tact when it came to politics or social interaction more broadly. Hopefully Thrass would be enough of a counterbalance to make things work.

"Lady Tano," said Che'ri, "I am honored to make your acquaintance. Eli told me about you and your fellow Jedi companion. Tell me, where is Master Kenobi?"

Ahsoka folded her arms. She looked a bit suspicious. "He is back on the shuttle," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"Thrawn gave me an assignment a few weeks back," Che'ri said. "An investigation, more like. I was hoping to discuss my findings with you both."

"What sort of investigation?" Ahsoka asked.

Che'ri looked at Vanto and said something in Cheunh. The commander screwed up his face as he listened. "It is… difficult to translate," he said. "But in essence, Che'ri has been looking for a world."

"A world?" Ahsoka echoed.

" _The_ world," Che'ri corrected. "And I do believe I have found it, or at least I am close."

Confusion etched across Ahsoka's face at this comment. Luke had no idea what to make of it as well.

"I am sure we have plenty of time on our hands," Vanto said. "Shall we return to the shuttle and discuss this further with Master Kenobi?"

"Yes," Ahsoka said at once. Confused as she may be, it was clear she was curious to hear more about what Che'ri had found. "I'm sure Obi-Wan will want to hear this."

Δ Δ Δ

Were bones supposed to feel this way? Obi-Wan didn't think so.

It was hard to describe the sensation. Hollow and aching were the two words which came to mind. It was painful, in a sense, yet Obi-Wan didn't find it particularly uncomfortable. On the contrary, he actually felt rather content and, all things considered, at peace. That was quite remarkable, now that he thought about it. How long had it been since he had been at peace? Not since…

Well, not since Qui-Gon died. It had been that long, hadn't it? Indeed, Obi-Wan hardly even knew who he was anymore. His defining characteristic for the longest time had been tumult. Now he had attained balance: with Anakin, with the Force, with himself.

So why was his body failing him?

He hadn't noticed it until recently, but now that he had, he realized this deterioration had been happening for a long time. He had felt it – that hollow sensation, that dull ache – for the first time on Dagobah. And he knew why. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew why.

He heard a creaking sound, accompanied by a gust of wailing wind. Obi-Wan turned around in his seat and peered out the cockpit door. Had they returned already?

"Where is he?" a voice asked.

"Around," said another voice. Ahsoka's, he recognized.

Obi-Wan stood up, wincing mightily as he did. Shuffling toward the door, he wrapped his robes around him tighter as a brisk chill swept through the cabin.

"Ahsoka?" he called. "Why –" Arriving in the cabin, Obi-Wan stopped when he saw an unfamiliar Chiss. Her blood-red eyes were trained on him with unnerving intensity.

"You are Master Kenobi?" she asked.

Obi-Wan scanned the room. Ahsoka and Vanto were there, as was Luke and Leia standing by the open hatch door. "Close that, would you?" he called to the twins. "It's freezing." Returning his attention to the Chiss, Obi-Wan gave her a polite nod. "I am he," he said. "And who might you be?"

"You may call me Che'ri," she said. "I am a friend of Thrawn's."

"Ah," Obi-Wan said, forcing a smile. "A friend of Thrawn's is a friend of ours."

Che'ri disregarded this comment. "I am also a former sky-walker."

"Wait, you are?" asked Luke. He stepped past Ahsoka, and Leia quickly followed him into the cabin. "You didn't tell us that."

"Do you know much of the sky-walkers?" Che'ri asked.

"Yeah," Luke said. "Thrawn told us about them."

"So you know about Third Sight."

Luke shook his head. "Third Sight? What's that?"

"Oh, I believe you know it, just under a different name." Che'ri rubbed her hands together, looking quite nervous all of a sudden. "Thrawn gave me a great deal of materials about the Jedi," she said, looking at Ahsoka first, then Obi-Wan. "It's fascinating."

Obi-Wan frowned. He wasn't sure what this was about.

"You see, while we sky-walkers use Third Sight to navigate the Chaos, you Jedi use the Force in much the same way."

And then it clicked. "You're Force-sensitive," Obi-Wan said.

Che'ri nodded. "I believe so. But we Chiss do not understand the Force in that way. The sky-walkers can access Third Sight for the first fourteen years of their life or so, but after that it goes away."

"That's not possible," Ahsoka said. "Force-sensitivity doesn't go away with age."

"No, but it can change," Obi-Wan said, ignoring the ache in his hips as he approached Che'ri. "Children see the Force in different ways." He looked at Luke and Leia. "In some ways… in many ways… they are more powerful than us." He paused to consider, fingers stroking his bearded chin. "With training I suspect your Force-sensitivity could have been maintained."

"Could it not still?" Che'ri asked.

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan said. "How old are you?"

"Thirty," Che'ri answered.

"I see," Obi-Wan said. "I'm afraid it might be too late, then. The Jedi typically began training children when they were about two years old. And while it is of course possible to begin training later, it gets exponentially harder with age."

"But what about us?" Leia asked.

Obi-Wan bit his tongue to stop himself from reminding Leia that she was still a child. She seemed to get upset whenever he said that. Instead, he smiled thinly.

"You are older, yes, but you are exceptionally powerful in the Force as is," he said. "You and Luke will have no trouble accessing the Force."

"So you mean to say some people…" Che'ri began to ask before trailing off. She looked at Vanto and asked her question in Cheunh. Yet the translation did not go as smoothly as before.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Vanto said, his brow furrowed deeply, "but what I believe my colleague is asking is if some people are more… attuned? Yes, attuned to… this."

"To the Force, you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes," Vanto said.

"Of course," Ahsoka answered. "All Force-sensitives have varying degrees of sensitivity to the Force."

"So perhaps…" Che'ri began, her forehead scrunched with thought, "perhaps I am more sensitive than most."

"What makes you say that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Most sky-walkers lose the ability of Third Sight by their fourteenth birthday, or earlier. Yet I remained in the corps until I was sixteen. And even now, I still retain some of my…" She looked at Vanto.

"Clairvoyance," he provided.

Che'ri blinked at him. "That one's too complicated."

Vanto chuckled. "Fair enough."

"I can sense things still," Che'ri continued. "Not as clearly as I once did, but still." She looked at Ahsoka. "That's how I found it."

"Found what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The center."

"The center?" Luke echoed. "The center of what?"

"Of the Chaos," Che'ri answered. "All sky-walkers sense the center. It helps guide us. But nobody knows what or where it is."

"What makes you think it's a physical place?" Ahsoka asked.

"It must be," Che'ri said. "I can sense its pull. Right now, for instance…" She closed her eyes and concentrated. The effort seemed quite strenuous for her. "It's… there." She turned a few degrees to the left and pointed. "In that direction."

Obi-Wan looked in the direction which she was pointing. "Can you describe this pull?" he asked.

"No," Che'ri said. "I've tried, but it's impossible."

"I understand," Obi-Wan said. Even for a Jedi Master such as himself, the Force oftentimes defied description. Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan attempted to identify what it was Che'ri was sensing, but he felt nothing but the simmering pain in his limbs. "I cannot sense it," he said. "But perhaps…" He looked at Luke and Leia. "Perhaps they can."

"Us?" Leia asked. "How could we –"

"You are more naturally gifted than Ahsoka or me," Obi-Wan said. "And besides, you are both much younger."

Leia chewed on her lip. "But…"

"But we haven't even been trained yet," Luke filled in for her. "How could we possibly –"

"Could it hurt to try?" Obi-Wan interjected.

The twins looked at each other. They communicated silently with each other, as Obi-Wan had so often seen them do. "I guess not," Luke said eventually. "What do we have to do?"

"Che'ri, here if you would," Obi-Wan said, gesturing to the center of the cabin. "I want you to direct them."

"Direct them? But how?" she asked.

"I do not know," Obi-Wan said. "We can only try. Luke; Leia, take a seat if you would."

"Where? Here?" Leia asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Beside Che'ri." The twins complied and Obi-Wan walked around them to stand next to Ahsoka. "Now remember what I told you about the Force," he said to the children. "It is a unifying thread which can be found both within and out. Close your eyes and reach out."

"Wait," Ahsoka said, nudging him in the ribs. "They haven't even used the Force yet?"

"Er…" Obi-Wan considered the incident on the _Chimaera_ when Luke had so casually displaced the burning wreckage to save Vader. "Not exactly, but I'm sure they will have no problem."

Ever the cynic, Leia said: "I don't know about this, Master."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You must dispel your doubts," he said. "Let your conscious self go and embrace the Force around you."

"You can do it, Leia," Luke said. "I know it sounds weird, but it's actually really easy."

"Really easy?" Ahsoka muttered.

Obi-Wan chuckled. To Luke Skywalker, maybe not, but to nearly everyone else, identifying the Force was one of the most difficult tasks for a young learner. He remembered it taking years as a youngling to be able to access it consistently like Master Yoda had taught him. Of course Anakin had no such trouble when he first became his Padawan.

"If you say so," Leia said. She placed her hands on her knees and took a deep breath. "Alright. Ready."

"Close your eyes," Obi-Wan instructed. The twins did so in synchrony. For the time being, Obi-Wan elected to observe in silence. He felt a ripple in the Force, subtle to be sure, yet unmistakable. Individually, their power was remarkable, yet the strength of their bond compounded that power several times fold. The power of two, he suspected, might even rival that of their father.

Ahsoka seemed to notice this as well. Her skepticism shifted into surprise. She looked at him and Obi-Wan nodded. "Now," he said, returning his attention to the trio, "Che'ri, I want you to connect with them."

"How?" she asked.

"Place your hands on their shoulders," Obi-Wan said. "Identify the pull. I want you to reveal it to them."

"I don't know if I can," Che'ri said.

"You can," Obi-Wan said. "I believe in you."

That wasn't true, per se. It wasn't her he believed in, but them. Whether they did it consciously or not, Obi-Wan knew the twins would be able to bridge the divide between them and Che'ri. They would feel what she felt, see what she saw.

After a minute, Obi-Wan was proven right. It was Luke first who jolted. His back stiffened and his head shot up.

"I see…" he said, eyes still closed. "I see…"

"What?" Obi-Wan prompted. "What do you see, Luke?"

Leia answered instead: "An ocean."

"Yeah," Luke said. "And there's an island."

"What else?" Obi-Wan asked.

The twins didn't reply. The seconds ticked by, and in the silence, Ahsoka began to pace around the three, eyes narrowed to slits as she observed. Coming to a stop behind Leia, she extended a hand and placed it atop Che'ri's on the girl's shoulder.

"Do you see it?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"I do," Ahsoka said, her voice distant. "It's… beautiful."

"Beautiful," Luke echoed.

"Powerful," Leia added.

"The center," Che'ri said.

Ahsoka removed Che'ri's hand from Leia's shoulder. The bond was broken and the three started awake.

"Hey!" Leia exclaimed.

"Why did you do that?" Che'ri asked.

"Because I know what you found," Ahsoka said. She walked behind her and returned to her spot by Obi-Wan's side. "I know this world. I have seen it before."

"You have?" Obi-Wan asked. "How?"

"In my dreams," Ahsoka said. Her eyes glazed over as she pondered. "I never really put it together until now, but I think I understand."

"Understand what?" Luke asked.

"The Force is calling me there," she said. "It's calling all of us."

"Where?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To where it all began. To the center." She nodded to herself, full of resolve. "It is the birthplace of the Jedi religion."

Obi-Wan felt his eyes go wide. It suddenly all made sense to him. This was where he must go.

"Ahch-To," he said.

That was where his journey would end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll confess that while I'm not a fan of the sequels, I do have a special affinity for Ahch-To. It's such a great design and concept. What with the Chiss being so vaguely defined in canon (for now, that is; Timothy Zahn is filling in the gaps for us with his newest trilogy), I took a lot of creative liberties here. These are of course my own (totally non-canonical) interpretations, Che'ri's Force-sensitivity one such example, Ahch-To's inclusion another. But anyway, thank you all for reading/reviewing. The chapters are coming out slower lately, but even if it takes longer to come out, don't think I'm not going to update, because I totally will! The end is fast approaching, and I'm looking forward to finishing this story.


	22. Love

Vader's head was spinning.

He stood in the center of a circular room, the insignia of the Ascendency encrusted under his feet on a floor of brilliant white and gold marble. Syndics surrounded him, seated a dozen feet up in elevated stadiums. They peered down at him, red eyes inscrutable, blue faces blank and impassive. He felt like a specimen being analyzed. But at least he wasn't alone. Thrawn stood to his left, Thrass to his right. The latter spoke at length in Cheunh. Vader had no idea what he was saying. At one point, the chamber erupted in applause. Thrawn nudged him in the ribs.

"They are thanking you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For rescuing the sky-walkers, of course."

The adulation made him uncomfortable. He had rescued those children on Mokivj, but for that he felt no pride. All he could think about were the other children. The ones who had looked him in the eye and said:

_Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?_

What are we going to do?

What was anyone doing?

More specifically, why was _he_ doing _this?_ Why was he willingly subjecting himself to the Chiss's scrutiny?

He wanted to sit down. He wanted to run. He felt dizzy and disoriented. He held his head. He wiped sweat from his brow. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"General Skywalker?"

_Skywalker._

_Anakin._

_Father._

His children. Leia, like her mother; Luke, like his father. Where were they? He needed to be with them. He needed to protect them.

"My lord?"

More voices. Cheunh. Basic. All garbled. He felt so confused, lost and angry.

"Thrawn," he growled. "Get me out of here."

"As you wish."

Now he was walking away. His muddled mind cleared with each step. He was breathing again, his heart rate slowing, his muscles relaxing. No longer were all the Syndics staring at him. He was free.

For now.

"I think that went quite well."

Vader looked to his left. Thrawn walked abreast with him, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

"Did it?" Vader asked. He frowned. "Where's Thrass?"

"He's still with the Syndicure."

"Oh."

"They took quite kindly to you," Thrawn said.

"But I didn't say anything."

"That, I believe," Thrawn said, smirking, "is precisely why."

Vaguely, Vader realized that was an oblique insult of sorts, but he didn't care enough to make a fuss. He rubbed his eyes with gloved fingers and shook out the cobwebs from his head.

"Feeling overwhelmed?" Thrawn asked.

"Supremely," Vader answered, to his surprise honestly. Why was he confiding in Thrawn? He confided in no one.

"I felt much the same when I was first summoned by the Syndicure." Thrawn snorted. "Then again, they were threatening to court martial me. I daresay that contributed to the stress."

"Where are you taking me, Thrawn? I want to find my children."

"Why?"

Vader was caught surprised. "Why?" he echoed. "What do you mean why?"

"You care for them deeply."

"I… well, yes. They are my children."

"Fascinating," was all Thrawn said.

"Fascinating how?"

"But are you not strangers to them?"

Vader clenched his fists. "Not by choice."

"An unfortunate circumstance of fate, but a fact nonetheless. Tell me: do you love them?"

He was blunt, as Thrawn always was. Vader should have grown accustomed to it by now, but alas he had not. He blinked rapidly, processing the question, unsure how to react.

_Do you love them?_

"Yes," Vader said. He considered adding more. He did not.

"Very well," Thrawn said.

And that was that.

But it got Vader thinking. He loved them. It was true. It was also terrifying. He lost everything because of love: first his mother, then his wife, and finally himself. He used to think he would never love again, that his heart had been charred along with the rest of him on the banks of the lava flow on Mustafar. But he was wrong.

It scared him how desperately he yearned to be with them. How long had they been separated? An hour? Maybe two? And in that time, he had nearly gone insane with angst, irrationally fearing that he'd never see them again. What was wrong with him? It was like he couldn't function without them.

Maybe he couldn't. Maybe he was tethered to them now, for better or for worse. He had nobody to blame but himself. He had chosen not to push them away, but to embrace them, as his own, as _her_ own. He had made that choice, and now he would have to live up to his role as their father.

It was a daunting prospect.

It meant subjecting himself to ordeals such as the one he had just endured. It meant selling himself to the Ascendency, serving as their puppet, their weapon. He had done it before. It had ruined him. But now he was doing it for someone else, for someone more worthy, for someone he loved.

Before he had only ever done it for himself. For greed, for vanity, for foolishness.

Out of the blue, he asked: "Am I a fool?"

Thrawn was unfazed. "No, Anakin Skywalker," he said, calmly. "You are a wiser man than many."

Vader didn't know if it was true. In fact, he doubted it very much.

But it was a nice thought.

"Thank you," he said.

The grand admiral smiled.

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan was seated in one of the bucket seats, scratching the hair on his chin as he listened to Ahsoka's conversation with Vanto and Che'ri. He wasn't really listening, actually. He heard the words, their voices, but he couldn't parse their meanings. He couldn't be bothered to. His mind was far, far away.

Ahch-To. That was where he would go. It was the birthplace of the Jedi. So did it not make sense for it to be where they came to an end, as well?

Or perhaps that was too extreme. The Jedi religion did not end with him. Vader might not be a Jedi anymore, and his children would not be trained in the traditional manner, but they would still wield the light side of the Force. He and Ahsoka would make sure of that. Vader even more so, he suspected. He wouldn't want his children to be afflicted with the dark side as he had been.

And then there was Jarrus and Bridger. They were still alive, were they not? The Jedi religion survived through them. But he knew it was not the same. Jarrus was the closest thing to a Jedi Knight after him and Yoda, but even at that, he was hardly a Jedi. He was only a Padawan when the Purge happened. He trained Bridger as best he could, but he trained him as a survivor, not a Jedi. Not in the sense of old.

The Order was gone. Obi-Wan had to come to terms with that. The Jedi of the Republic were no more. What remained was something else. Something, perhaps, more apt. Less rigid. Malleable and adaptable.

And so they would go to Ahch-To, not to mourn a death, but to celebrate a rebirth. The vestiges of old, of the Jedi and Sith, they would be dispelled, expunged, done away with. The twins would be trained, in their father's words, for who they were: Skywalkers.

In a sense, Obi-Wan had failed. In Yoda's eyes, he certainly had. But Obi-Wan was familiar with failure. He knew of all its forms. It could be devastating. Satine, he had failed. Qui-Gon. Padmé. And of course, Anakin. He had failed them all. Each and every one of those failures were branded to his heart. They would be to his flesh, but even Obi-Wan's asceticism had bounds. He was no masochist, even if to others it might seem that way.

But this? This was not the same sort of failure. Nobody suffered because of this failure. Nobody but him and Yoda, perhaps, and their suffering was mere consternation, nothing compared to what happened to Satine, to Qui-Gon, to Padmé.

And then there was Anakin. His friend and brother. He had failed him before, but now he was rectifying the many wrongs. He had saved his life, and then he had returned meaning to it by introducing him to his children. It was a cleansing experience for him to see his old friend restored, or at least mended.

In that sense, he was happy to have failed. Because in failing the Order, he had accomplished something he never thought possible. He had brought Anakin Skywalker back to life.

He loved him. He always had, of course, but now he realized just how much. He was willing to destroy himself, or who he thought himself to be, for Anakin. The Jedi Order was all he had left, and indeed all he ever had. And for Anakin, he had sacrificed it. It even went beyond that, even. His creed, gone, and soon to join the pyre, his own life.

He understood now exactly what he had done on Dagobah. At the time, he hadn't realized it, but even if he had, Obi-Wan wouldn't change a thing. He had tethered his life to Anakin's, and in so doing, provided his own essence, his own intrinsic light, to combat the darkness which threatened to consume Anakin. His alter ego, so to speak. Vader.

And once Vader died, so would Obi-Wan.

It was a sobering realization. To know that as Anakin grew stronger, Obi-Wan would become weaker.

But he wouldn't have it any other way.

The door to the shuttle opened. In walked Vader, followed closely by Thrawn. The door sealed shut as soon as the grand admiral was in the cabin.

"How'd it go?" Leia asked, she and Luke both jumping to their feet at their father's arrival.

"Very well," Thrawn answered. "And what about you? How did your venture go?"

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"I assume you helped Che'ri identify the center?"

"How do you know about that?" Ahsoka asked.

"It seemed like the sort of thing a Jedi might be able to resolve," Thrawn said, a hint of a smile on his lips. "So did you succeed?"

"We did," Obi-Wan confirmed.

Thrawn looked at him. "And?"

"And what?"

"Is it suitable?"

"For what?"

"For whatever it is you intend."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile. "Oh, I believe it will do quite nicely."

"What are you two talking about?" Vader asked.

"Ahch-To," Ahsoka said. "We found it."

"The Jedi Temple? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It will serve as a perfect base of operations," Thrawn said. "It is hidden, so neither the Grysk nor the Empire will be able to find you."

"And the world itself is strong with the Force," Obi-Wan added. "It will be the perfect place to train your children."

Vader looked at the twins. "Yes," he said. "I can see how it would be."

"So it is settled then?" Thrawn said. "We will depart for Ahch-To."

"It's not that simple," Che'ri said.

"But I thought you found it?" Thrawn said.

Che'ri shared a smile with Ahsoka. "We found it through the Force," Ahsoka said. "We don't have coordinates, per se."

"But you can guide us there?"

Ahsoka looked unconfident. "We are not trained in the way Che'ri was," she said. "We are not navigators."

"I can do it," Luke said.

Everyone turned to him. The boy wilted under the attention.

"I mean… maybe," he amended.

Obi-Wan considered. "I believe in you, Luke," he said. "You are a fast learner. Che'ri, do you believe you will be able to teach Luke how to navigate?"

"I suppose," Che'ri said, although she sounded unconfident. "But I was never taught how to navigate. It just came naturally."

"Luke will not let you down, I assure you," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin?" he added as a courtesy. "What say you?"

"Luke will do well," Vader said without hesitation. "He is more than capable."

The boy beamed, yet Obi-Wan noticed his sister's expression sour. Perhaps she was jealous? He figured that was likely. The princess could be quite competitive. And while he didn't doubt her ability, he knew she didn't yet have the experience that Luke had. Sure, he hadn't received much training over the past few months, just a few brief lessons from him and Jarrus, but as he said, the boy was a quick learner.

Unlike a certain other. Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin, involuntarily. He couldn't help himself.

"What?" Vader asked.

"Nothing," Obi-Wan said. "The sentimentalities of an old man, I apologize."

Vader was confused. He couldn't possibly understand. But as Vader looked to his children, and Obi-Wan saw his expression soften, he realized that maybe, in a certain way, he actually did understand. The way he looked at his children… it was the same way Obi-Wan looked at him.

With affection. With sorrow. With regret.

But above all else, with love.

Δ Δ Δ

Leia stood by the blast doors with her arms folded. Thrawn had politely told her that she didn't need to be here. What he really meant was he didn't _want_ her here. But Leia demurred. If Luke got to be here, so did she.

Her brother was the center of attention. He sat at the navigation station with a pair of headphones around his neck. Che'ri was at his side. She was speaking and Luke listened with rapt attention. Also there was Vader, Kenobi, and Ahsoka. The three of them stood side-by-side. They too were listening closely to what Che'ri had to say. A few meters away in front of the view port was Thrawn, Vanto, and Ar'alani.

Leia knew she was being petulant. She was, after all, an entirely self-aware person. But even so, she couldn't manage to wipe the scowl off her face. Why did Luke get to navigate the ship and not her? Kenobi said they had equivalent powers. Nobody had even considered her as a candidate!

Sure, Luke had volunteered for the task and Leia had not. But a nagging suspicion told her the roles would not have changed had she beat him to the mark and volunteered herself first. Kenobi might say she and Luke were equals, but he didn't treat them as such. He doubted her. So did Ahsoka. Whenever she looked at her, she frowned slightly, as if something she saw wasn't quite right. It was frustrating because Leia looked up to Ahsoka. Here was a woman she wanted to emulate. Powerful, confident, composed.

At least Vader didn't doubt her. She could take solace in that. And as he made his way over to her now, Leia felt a bit of the tension escape her shoulders.

"You look upset," he said.

Was she really that obvious?

"I'm not," Leia said. Wow. Real convincing.

Vader smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "When we get to Ahch-To, your real training will begin."

He was smiling. Really smiling. And at her, no less. This was going to take some getting used to.

"What happened at the meeting?" Leia asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea."

"What do you mean?"

A strange look passed Vader's face. "What happened in that chamber… I haven't felt that way in a long time."

"Felt what?"

"Fear."

Leia didn't understand. "Fear? You mean to say you've never felt fear?"

"Not for a long time," Vader reiterated. "Not real fear, at least."

"How do you classify real fear?"

Vader gave her a long look. It made her uncomfortable, but only a little bit. It wasn't him that she was uncomfortable with, but rather, herself. Because when she met his eyes, she felt like a little girl. She felt like his daughter.

For most of her life, another man had made her feel that way. Her other father. Bail Organa. She felt so guilty to think of him now. She left him on Yavin without so much as a goodbye. She hadn't been able to spare it at the time, what with her leaving in secrecy with Ezra and company. What must Bail think now? Did he think she was dead? Or had someone – Kanan, maybe? – managed to make contact with him?

"Fear," Vader said, and Leia was stirred from her ponderings. "Fear is what you feel when you are separated from those you love." He looked away, and Leia was left stunned by what this meant. Was he saying… he loved her? Luke, too? "All my life, I have been torn away from those I hold most dear. My mother. My wife." He summoned his courage and looked at her again. "Your mother."

Leia felt her throat tighten. "You won't lose us like you lost them," she said. "We're not going anywhere."

"I know," Vader said. "I won't let you."

Feeling bold, Leia leaned against him. Vader didn't flinch. He placed an arm around her shoulder. She felt the metal and wiring around her back, digging into her flesh, but even with that, Leia had never felt a more tender touch.

It was comfortable. Entirely natural. Father and daughter, together. They didn't speak, electing instead to watch Luke from afar. Che'ri finished speaking and stepped away. So did Ahsoka and Kenobi. The latter spared them a curious look. Leia didn't blush. She had no reason to be embarrassed.

Luke placed the headphones over his ears. She couldn't see his face, but she imagined him closing his eyes. He would reach out into the Force. How he knew to do that so well, Leia had no idea. She felt another twinge of jealousy.

Ar'alani spoke from the head of the bridge. Leia didn't understand Cheunh, but she knew what she was saying.

"Entering hyperspace in 3…2…1."

Blue streaks appeared in the viewport, and they were off. Luke would guide them to Ahch-To. She knew, of course, that this could all go terribly wrong. The Chiss called the Unknown Regions the Chaos, and not for no reason. The hyperlanes in this region of space were highly unstable, littered with errant comets, gravity wells, magnetospheres, and the sort. If Luke made some mistake, he could kill them all.

But Leia knew he wouldn't. Jealous of him as she may be, Leia trusted Luke with her life. And, she realized with a start, she trusted the man by her side with equal measure.

It went beyond trust. It wasn't much of a surprise, was it? She had always known.

"I love you too," she said to her father.

Vader did not respond. Not with words, at least. His grip on her shoulder tightened, and, glancing up, Leia saw a small smile return to his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sweet little chapter. Sappy, maybe, but I enjoyed it. I'm ultimately a huge fan of stories where Anakin is redeemed by his family, so I suppose it's not much of a surprise things worked out in this way. When I began this endeavor, I had no clear cut ending in place. And as I reach this juncture in the story, I realize I could write much, much more, but I don't think I will. The story is long as is, novel-length in fact. As such, I think next chapter will be the last. I might end up splicing it into two chapters, depending on how much material I have to cover, but I think this is a good place for the story to end. So thank you all very much for reading, and I hope you'll stay tuned for the ending. As with my other stories, I'll leave a much longer author's note at the end of the last chapter giving you my thoughts on the process and possible takeaways from the story.


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